Tempered by Fire
by nancestef
Summary: Roy and Johnny are assigned a new trainee, Reese Murphy. Can her past become a bridge to the future? This is my first Emergency! fan fiction. Please leave constructive feedback. Anonymous reviews will be deleted.
1. Chapter 1

Tempered By Fire

By nancestef

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Emergency! its characters, or its settings. This is purely a work of fiction. No monetary gain has been (or will be) made from this work. It is for the enjoyment of Emergency! Fans. It is not my intention to infringe upon any copyrights or trademarks, so please don't sue me.

Thanks to everyone involved with the program Emergency – from the stars all the way down to the janitor. You've given us countless hours of entertainment.

Author's notes:

Please note that I am not a physician, nor do I play one on TV. All medical information was gathered from internet sources (and some from episodes of our favorite television show!). If there are any mistakes, they are mine alone, and for those, I apologize.

This is my first ever Emergency! Fan Fiction. It was started in March 2009. It's taken me until now, over six years to finish. I don't know how fan fiction writers can write so many stories. They have talent, and I am jealous!

In order to make my storyline work, I had to take a few "liberties":

I don't know if the Fire Department has an Appeals Process for those who do not pass their field training. But, in order to write the story, I invented one.

If you remember the episode "Snakebite", when Roy is explaining how the paramedic program works to the nurse in the clinic, he states that they were only certified in LA County. I made a change to make my story work.

I don't know how far the fire department would have gone to notify next of kin. Again, I had to build my story, so I improvised in this situation.

This is a "G – rated" work of fiction. (Mainly because I wouldn't know how to write any other type!)

This story contains some owies, angst, humor, soul-searching, and some firefighting.

I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter 1

Morning's serenity was interrupted by the harsh ringing of the bedside alarm clock. Slowly, a large hand crept out from under the blanket and tried to silence the racket but only succeeded in knocking the offending invention to the floor. The clock bounced off the nightstand and came to rest under the bed, continuing its noisy assault on the sleeping couple.

A soft voice moaned quietly. "Hank…Hank…it's time to get up."

Pulling the blankets over his head, he grumbled, "Let them run the place without me."

The female form rolled over and wrapped her arms around the sleeping captain. "That's not possible…that place would fall apart if you weren't there." She snuggled closer to his ear. "C'mon…vacation's over," she whispered.

He rolled over to face her, wrapping her in his arms. "I guess you're right. There's nothing I'd rather do than spend the day here with you, but I don't get paid to do that."

"Why don't you take your shower, while I make us some breakfast?" she suggested.

"Yeah…yeah. That sounds good," he mumbled sleepily.

Millie Stanley reached over to the chair next to the night table and slipped into her pink bathrobe. She turned to face the still sleeping captain. "C'mon sleepyhead…get a move on."

Hank muttered something about another minute when Millie decided to take the matter into her own hands. She quietly picked up her pillow and aimed for his head. The pillow made a "whoomp" sound as she hit her target. Hank awoke suddenly and put his arms up in defense. "Oh, no you don't!" He grabbed his pillow, and the two began to beat each other until they were breathless. They laughed and fell back onto the bed.

"Let's go…I'll make breakfast."

They kissed as Hank made his way into the bathroom and closed the door.

While she was in the kitchen, Millie could hear the shower running. Humming to herself, she opened the refrigerator and took out the carton of eggs, along with some bacon. After measuring the coffee carefully, she put the pot on the stove. As she began to prepare the eggs, she put bread into the toaster.

The bathroom door opened, and Hank could smell the aroma of frying bacon as it wafted throughout the house. As he ambled into the kitchen, he saw that Millie had just finished setting their places at the table. Hank snuck up behind her and surprised her with a big hug.

"Don't scare me like that."

"You were expecting someone else?"

She turned to face him. "Only my husband," she said with a sly grin. They kissed again.

"You certainly look handsome this morning, Captain Stanley," she grinned. "I just adore a man in uniform."

"And you look ravishing, Mrs. Stanley."

"You're going to be late for work if you don't eat."

"I know. But I have a good reason," he said. As he pulled the chair away from the table and sat down, Millie poured steaming hot coffee into his cup.

"You wouldn't want to be late on your first day back, would you?" She turned and put the coffee pot back on the stove. Gathering the eggs, bacon, and toast, she put them on a platter and set the dish on the table.

"Nah, I guess you're right. Shouldn't the girls be getting ready for school?"

"No, honey, they have today off, remember?"

Hank took a sip from his coffee cup. "Oh, yeah…lucky them."

Morning sunlight streamed through the blinds into the bedroom. The lone figure in bed was awakened by heavy pressure in her chest. She was having difficulty drawing a breath. Upon opening her eyes, she was greeted by the face of her cat, Roscoe.

"Roscoe – what are you do— oh my God! What time is it?" She frantically rolled out of bed searching for the alarm clock. One of the cats had knocked it off the table sometime overnight, and it landed across the room.

I can't be late today, she thought. That's not the way I want to make a first impression. She knelt down on her hands and knees, digging the clock from under the dresser. "Stupid cats," she muttered to herself.

As she was on all fours retrieving the clock, Roscoe and Smokey jumped down from the bed and began to weave themselves between her arms and legs, meowing insistently.

"C'mon, guys! Cut it out! I'm gonna be late!"

She put the clock back on the dresser and hurried into the bathroom. She started the shower and tore through the hallway closet for her clothes. After pulling out the necessary garments, she headed back into the bathroom and jumped into the shower.

The stream of water stung her skin like icicles in mid-December. "DAMMIT! Of all days, why did it have to be today? Ah-Ah-YEOWWWW!"

She fiddled with the knobs until the water became warmer. She allowed herself to relax for only a minute. If this is any indication of how today is going to be, maybe I should just stay in bed she thought.

After she soaped, shampooed, and rinsed in record time, the young woman toweled herself off, brushed her teeth, then got dressed. She checked her appearance in the mirror. Her short auburn hair fell across her forehead. A smattering of freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, a testament to her Irish heritage.

She could hear meowing and scratching at the bathroom door. "All right! I'll be out in a minute!"

Turning on the blow dryer, she quickly dried her hair. After a quick check in the mirror, she hurried to the door and found her two roommates waiting with eager anticipation.

"OK, guys, let's go."

She walked into the kitchen, while the two cats began to weave their way between her legs. Taking a box of cat food from the cabinet, she poured the hard bits of kibble noisily into the bowl. Then, she selected another bowl, filled it with water and set it down next to the food. Taking a glance at the clock, she felt a slight sense of panic. She opened another cupboard and chose a box of cereal. After selecting a bowl from the dish drainer, and a spoon from the drawer, she began to make her own breakfast. Opening the refrigerator door, she pulled out the container of milk, poured it over her cereal, and threw the empty carton away.

Eating her breakfast in record time, and not spilling a drop in the process, she placed her dish and spoon in the sink. She didn't have time to wash it now; it'd have to wait. Fastening a watch to her left wrist, she grabbed her car keys and left the apartment in a hurry.

She jogged out to her car and flopped into the driver's seat. Closing the door, she said a silent prayer. "Start for me baby. Please start for me today," she begged.

Putting the key into the ignition, she turned it. As the engine came to life, she rejoiced. "Oh, it's gonna be a great day, I can feel it!" She exclaimed, as she shifted into reverse and backed out into the street. Putting the car into drive, she headed on her way to the first day at her new job.

She drove for a few blocks, noticing what a lovely day it was. The sun was shining, and the temperature was quite comfortable for this time of year. Heavy thunderstorms came through the area the night before, dumping torrential rains on parts of Southern California and bringing in a cool front. The heat of the last few days had been oppressive, and she was glad to hear that the weatherman had forecasted lower temperatures for the next few days.

Approaching an intersection, she stopped for the red light. As the light was about to turn green, she got ready to take her foot off the brake. The car behind her failed to stop in time and struck her back bumper. Great, she thought. This is the last thing I needed today.

A little silver-haired lady got out of the car as the young woman assessed the damage to her pea green Ford Falcon. "Oh, dear, I am so sorry. I – I – I don't know what happened. Are you OK?"

"Yes, ma'am, I'm fine. There seems to be no damage to either of our vehicles, so let's just be on our way, shall we?" the young woman asked.

"Don't you want my name or anything?" the little old lady inquired.

"No, ma'am, I'm not hurt, my car is fine. If I spend any more time here, I'm going to be late for my first day at work," the younger woman explained.

"Oh, I see," the older lady replied. "Well, at least let me give you my phone number….as soon as I can find my pen… oh, drat! I knew I had one in here somewhere." The old lady took her purse and dumped the contents on the hood of her car.

The younger woman, growing more anxious by the moment, said. "Look, Ma'am, everything is fine. Please. I've got to go."

"You're not going to have me arrested, are you?"

"No, Ma'am." She walked to her car and got in, heading on her way to work, leaving the old lady standing there.

"Poor dear," the elderly woman said shaking her head, "I hope everything is all right."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Captain Stanley pulled his pickup truck into the Station 51 parking lot. He hated the first day back from vacation. It felt good to have days off, but they were filled with all the things that had to be done around the house. There were shelves to build in the basement, shingles to be replaced, windows to wash, and a hundred other things on Millie's "Honey-do List" that he'd been putting off. Unfortunately, he worked so hard all week that he was exhausted when Sunday night rolled around. He took that time to sit in his backyard and admire the sunset with a cold beer. Millie knew that he liked to unwind that way, so she let him have that time to himself. Her usual Sunday night routine consisted of helping the girls with their homework and getting them ready for school the next morning. The Stanley family consisted of Hank, his wife Millie, and their two daughters, Marybeth and Allison. The girls were both teenagers, and they were their parents' pride and joy.

He got out of the blue pickup and walked towards the station. The squad was gone, but the engine was parked in its proper place. He strolled through the apparatus bay, past the kitchen, and into his office.

"Good morning, Hank. Welcome back. How was your vacation?" asked Captain Phil Monroe as he wheeled back in the office chair.

"Hi, Phil. It felt good to have the days off, but with all the things I did around the house, coming back to work will feel like a vacation," Hank chuckled.

"I know what you mean, pal. I know what you mean."

"What's going on? Anything I should know about?"

"No, no. Just the usual."

Captain Stanley picked up the clipboard and leafed through some pages.

Phil closed the log book and hooked the pen in his left front pocket. He turned before stepping out the door. "I'll see ya around, Hank."

"Yeah, thanks." Captain Stanley took a seat in the now vacant chair as he looked through the desk drawers for a pen.

As Captain Monroe exited the office, a young woman approached the doorway. She knocked quietly.

"Excuse me. I'm looking for Captain Stanley."

"I'm Captain Stanley. How can I help you?"

"My name is Reese. Reese Murphy." She extended her hand to shake his. "I'm scheduled to begin my paramedic field training today."

"Oh - I'm sorry – I…" he stammered.

She tried to read the confused look on Hank's face. "Did you get the memo?" She paused. "You didn't get the memo…?"

"I'm sorry – I just got back from vacation, Miss…"

"Just call me Reese."

"Reese – I'm sorry." He paused to think for a minute. "Reese? That's an interesting name."

"Thank you, sir. It's a shortened version of my full name."

"Which is…?"

"Sir, if I tell you this, I expect it to be held in the highest confidence."

"Oh, absolutely."

She cleared her throat and said, "It's short for Theresa".

"Well, we'll just keep that OUR little secret, shall we?" He smiled.

"Thank you, Captain Stanley." She paused. "HQ informed me that they sent a memo, letting you know that I'd be reporting for duty this morning."

"Well, we both know how the wheels of bureaucracy turn, don't we? I just got back from vacation a few minutes ago, so let me…" He looked around on his desk and discovered an envelope under a stack of paperwork. He opened it up and began to read. "Yes…Yes. I see. You're here for field training. We've got a few minutes before the paramedics arrive, so why don't you have a seat. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

"No, thank you, Sir. If I may, here is the paperwork I'm supposed to give you." She handed him a manila folder.

"Let me take a minute…" He looked over all the papers. "Everything seems to be in order." He paused for just a minute to think. "I-um- there will be a few 'adjustments' that'll have to be made."

"Captain, I'm aware that you don't have segregated living quarters. When I was at 39's, things went smoothly. I don't require any special consideration."

"That's fine, I'm sure we'll all do just fine," he said as he smiled at her.

In the distance, two voices could be heard coming out of the locker room and echoing in the apparatus bay. The smell of freshly brewed coffee greeted the two paramedics as they made their way towards the kitchen.

Roy was leading the way, when John grabbed him by the arm. "Roy….wait a minute…will you just listen to me for a second?"

Roy stopped in mid stride. Turning to his highly animated partner, he replied, "After coffee, all right?"

Captain Stanley exited his office and stood outside the door. "John - Roy, can I see you in my office for a minute?"

"Sure thing, Cap."

"Good morning, Cap. Welcome back."

The two paramedics entered the office and were momentarily startled to see the woman standing there.

"Reese Murphy, I'd like you to meet Paramedics John Gage and Roy DeSoto. You'll be training with them for the next few months."

A slight look of confusion flashed across Gage's face before he extended his hand and said, "Welcome to Station 51."

Roy smiled and said, "Reese – nice to meet you."

"Thank you very much. I've heard a lot about you. I'm looking forward to training here."

Captain Stanley explained further, "Reese is here to conduct her field training."

"I had gone through my field training with a squad that ran out of St. Bernadine's in San Berdoo. My superior wouldn't recommend me for certification, so I went through the appeal process and here I am."

"We're glad to have you along," Roy said.

"You guys didn't happen to see Chet anywhere, did you?"

John answered, "Yeah, Cap, he was just coming in as we were leaving the locker room."

"Would you tell him I'd like to see him, please…now?"

"Sure thing, Cap," Roy replied.

Hank turned to Reese and instructed, "Roll call is in 10 minutes. After that, John and Roy will show you the station and answer any questions you may have, and when the squad gets back, they'll get you acquainted with that, too."

"Thank you, Captain Stanley."

The three paramedics walked out of the office towards the kitchen. Chet strolled around the side of the engine when John stopped him.

"Uh, Chet – Cap wants to see you in his office."

"Now?"

"Yeah, I DO believe he specifically used that word."

Chet walked by the three of them and walked towards Cap's office. He stopped at the doorway and lightly knocked.

"Cap – you wanted to see me?"

"Sure thing, Kelly. Close the door."

A slightly worried look came across Chet's face, "Did I do something wrong?"

"No – No. I just wanted to have this little conversation with you that's all."

Kelly relaxed and smiled. "Sure, Cap. What about?"

"We have a new paramedic trainee starting today."

"Oh, yeah? That's great."

"AND - I want YOU to keep The Phantom under cover."

"Aw, Cap. C'mon. What kind of a station would this be if we didn't give our new trainee a warm welcome?" he asked.

"I mean it, Kelly. She'll be with us for a few months, and I don't want The Phantom to pay any visits to her while she's here. We don't want her to think that we're a bunch of knuckle dragging Neanderthals, do we?"

"SHE?"

"Yes. Didn't you see her with Gage and DeSoto when you walked in?"

"To be honest, Cap, I wasn't really paying much attention."

"Do I have your word, Kelly?"

"My word?" He paused and thought about it for a minute. "Yeah, Cap. I'll retire The Phantom for a while. It's NOT permanent. He's just going on an extended vacation."

"Good. That'll be all."

Kelly walked out of the office with his hands in his pockets and headed towards the kitchen for his first cup of coffee. The way this morning was starting off, he thought to himself, he'd be lucky if there were any jelly donuts left to go with it.

Just as Chet got to the coffee pot, Captain Stanley walked into the kitchen announced that it was time for roll call.

As the members of A-shift lined up in front of the station, Reese stood off to the side, near the office door.

"Good morning, gentlemen. We've got some things to discuss this morning, so let's get started." He flipped through a couple of pages on his clipboard. "New insurance cards are going to be available next week. You should have them in your pay envelopes. As of July 1, uniform allowance will be going up 5%." Flipping to another page, he said, "Joe Sanders has been elected as our new union delegate. He's from 65's. John, here's something that might interest you. Tryouts for the Bowling League will take place next Tuesday."

He paused for a minute to look over his men. "Now that we've got that taken care of, I'd like to introduce you to Reese Murphy. She'll be with us for the next few months, working on her paramedic field training."

She stepped forward as he introduced her to the crew.

"You've already met Paramedics Roy DeSoto and John Gage." He pointed to Marco and said, "This is Firefighter Marco Lopez."

"Nice to meet you, Marco." They shook hands and smiled.

"Firefighter Chester B. Kelly. We call him Chet, though."

"Chet, it's nice to meet you," she said as she shook his hand.

"Last and certainly not least our Engineer, Mike Stoker."

"Mike – pleased to meet you."

Stoker shook her hand and smiled.

"Now, I know you'll do everything you can to make Reese feel at home here at 51 while she's training." Hank turned to Reese and said, "These two are the best in the business. I'm sure you're going to learn a lot from them."

Turning to Gage, Captain Stanley said, "John, why don't you show Reese around the station while Roy gets the log updated. Marco, check the air bottles on the engine. Mike, I want you to run the test on those new nozzles with Kelly."

Hank was just about to dismiss his crew when the door to the bay opened up, and the squad backed in, covered in mud from its front bumper to the back running board.

Paramedic Chuck Parker jumped out of the cab. "She's all yours, Roy."

Gage walked around the squad. "What'd ya do to it?" he asked in disbelief.

"Bad run?" Roy asked.

"Yeah, you could say that…we got toned out early for a horseback riding accident off Bear Canyon Road. With all the rain they had up there yesterday…well, you can see what it did to the squad."

Chuck's partner, Dave Steele, had already walked into the locker room, as Chuck handed the keys to Roy.

"Looks like we've got work to do," Gage said, as he turned to Reese.

Johnny opened the rear door of the bay, and Roy backed the vehicle out. He got out of the squad as Gage turned on the hose and began to wash it down. Caked mud began to disappear as the bright red color of the squad was uncovered. When he was done, he picked up three rags and handed one to Reese and one to Roy.

"Here's your first official duty," he said.

He smiled as she took the rag and began to wipe down the back of the vehicle. Roy was busy working on the driver's side, while Johnny went about cleaning the passenger side. It took them nearly 30 minutes, but when they finished, the squad looked almost brand new.

"Roy, I'd like to take a look at how the squad is set up now," Reese asked.

"Sure thing," Roy replied.

The two paramedics opened each of the compartment doors and removed various items. Roy opened the black tackle box. "Let's see. Here's the drug box. Everything is arranged to suit our own particular needs. We've found that this system works best for us, so we've stuck with it."

"That sounds logical. My previous trainer was quite adamant that the box be alphabetized. I think that's one of the things that led to my not getting certified." She paused. "I questioned everything. I guess he took it as a sign of insubordination," Reese explained.

"There's nothing wrong with asking questions. That's what training's for," Roy added. Gesturing to some of the other equipment, he said, "Here's the Trauma box, OB Kit. Up here is where we keep the data scope and the biophone."

"Oxygen is stored in this compartment here. Splints, cervical collars in this box." John showed her. He pointed towards the rear of the squad. Roy opened another storage compartment. Pulling out a metal cage-like stretcher, he said, "Stokes and full backboards are here." Walking around to the driver's side, he opened the top compartment. "Forcible entry tools are here. Pry bar, ajax tool, haligan, ax, bolt cutters…"

Johnny stepped on the rear bumper of the squad and pointed out the storage box next to the cab. "We've got K-12 and Jaws of Life here." He paused for a second. "Hey, can I ask you a question?" He jumped from the back of the squad to the pavement.

"Go ahead."

"What made you want to be a paramedic in the first place?"

She smiled, "Because I didn't want to be a bookkeeper." She thought for a minute then went on to explain, "Actually, a lot of my family members were firefighters back east, so I thought I'd give it a try. I've had some medical training from my time in the Naval Reserve. When I heard about this program, I jumped at the chance. It just seems like the right thing to do."

"Back east is where?" Roy asked.

"Boston."

A confused look came over Johnny's face. "So, why'd you come all the way out here?"

"Because I wanted to be my own person and not judged by my family name. There aren't many places further from Boston than Los Angeles."

Johnny laughed. "You're right about that."

"This job can be very rewarding," Roy said, as he leaned against the squad. "But, there are also times when, no matter how hard you try, you just can't get a bad run off your mind."

Gage agreed. "Sometimes, it's hard to leave work at work."

Roy looked through the drug box and moved a few things around. "It looks like we're going have to make a supply run."

After putting all the equipment back into the squad, Roy closed the compartment doors. He pointed towards the closet in the corner of the apparatus bay. "Before we go, let's get you some gear."

The three of them approached the closet. As soon as Johnny opened the door, he was drenched with a water bomb.

While Gage stood there in a small puddle, Roy handed her a turnout coat. "You can use this one for now."

Gage looked at Reese and Roy with his hair dripping wet. "If you'll excuse me for a minute…" He walked into the bathroom, came out with a towel, and began to wipe his face.

Captain Stanley came out of his office to see what the commotion was about. Looking at Chet, he growled, "KELLY! I thought I told you…"

"Sorry, Cap…I put that one up before -"

"Yeah, yeah – now get a mop and clean this up!" Captain Stanley bellowed.

"Inside joke?" she asked.

Roy smiled. "Yeah, you could say that…"

Reaching for the shelf over the coat rack, Johnny handed her a helmet and said, "You're going to need this, too. C'mon. Let's stow your gear and get going."

John opened the squad compartment door and Reese put her gear in.

Walking by the kitchen, Roy stuck his head in. "Cap, we're going to be 10-8 to Rampart for supplies."

"Fine Roy, you can finish the log book when you get back."

"Right, Cap."

Johnny held the door open for Reese as she climbed in.

Roy started the squad and exited the station. John turned to Reese and said, "California must be quite a change from what you're used to in Boston."

"It took me a while to get accustomed to it." She laughed. "I've been here for about eight years. It's such a radical change. The lifestyle, the weather."

Roy glanced at her and asked, "Do you still have family there?"

"None to speak of." She paused for a minute and asked, "How many runs do you usually get per shift?"

Roy answered, "That depends. Some can be hectic when we get 10 to 12. Sometimes, we get called out to a wildfire, and we're out there for 24 hours straight."

John smiled, "Then, there are days when nothing much happens. We get a lot of work done at the station on days like that, but those are pretty rare."

"The hectic days – what are those like?"

Roy replied, "Well, they could be anything from drug OD's to MVA's or…"

"Children bathing alone, stuck in a bathtub…" Gage shot Roy a devilish look. "You ought to ask Roy about THAT rescue sometime."

"We'd rather have people call us than not call us. After all, if it IS an emergency, we can get them the help they need," Roy replied.

_**Today, I began my first day of paramedic field training working with Roy DeSoto and John Gage at Station 51 in Carson. It was a little awkward at first because Captain Stanley didn't get the memo that I'd be serving there for the next few months. He finally found it on his desk in a stack of papers. Since it was his first day back from vacation, it might have been there only a couple of days.**_

_**That's OK, though. Everything went fine. I was introduced to the crew, and our first day wasn't all that eventful. There were a few runs, but it was mostly small stuff…sprained ankle, minor car accident, small brush fire. Most of the day was spent getting acquainted with the squad, the layout of the station, and sleeping arrangements. I'd heard a lot about this station, and I was anxious to get started. Gage and DeSoto are supposedly the best paramedic team in the business. After watching them for only a day, I can see that they have this mental "connection" (for lack of a better word). They're in tune with one another to the point that they know what the other wants even before asking for it.**_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Early morning showers gave way to sunshine. John and Roy had the hood up on the

squad to do some routine maintenance on it. Reese was in the back of the vehicle, loading air bottles with Chet's help. Marco was polishing hose on the engine, and Stoker was buffing the control panel.

"So, Joanne and I went to see Jennifer's school play last night."

"Oh, yeah? Well, how was it?"

"Let's put it this way. I don't think my child will be starring in any major motion pictures anytime soon."

Johnny put his wrench down. He picked up another one, inspected it, and started to tighten the battery cables on the squad. "Why? What happened?"

"Well, she got up with her class, and she was supposed to recite a verse to this poem. She tripped going up the stairs to the stage and just stood there," Roy replied as he wiped his hands. "She didn't utter a single word."

"Not one word?"

"Not one."

"Man, she'll probably be traumatized for the rest of her life." Johnny grinned. "Ya know, Roy, I don't think I've EVER seen Jennifer speechless."

Roy smiled. "She was devastated. It took us a couple of hours, a whole box of tissues, and a hot fudge sundae to calm her down."

Captain Stanley came from the kitchen into the bay. "OK, everybody, listen up. I just wanted to remind you of the Annual Station 51 A-Shift picnic at my house next weekend. Bring whoever you want. There'll be plenty of food for all. The fun starts at noon."

The crew was in the middle of acknowledging Captain Stanley's announcement when the klaxons sounded.

*****STATION 51 – ENGINE 8 –– MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT WITH INJURIES. SAN DIEGO FREEWAY SOUTHBOUND BETWEEN FLORENCE AND NORMANDIE. SAN DIEGO FREEWAY SOUTHBOUND BETWEEN FLORENCE AND NORMANDIE. TIME OUT 8:43*****

Captain Stanley acknowledged the call. Tearing off two sheets of paper, he handed one to Roy as he jogged over to the engine and jumped into the cab.

Squad 51 arrived at the scene of the multi-vehicle accident, just ahead of the engine. Flares had been set up by the police, and the officers were directing the rescue vehicles. A tractor-trailer had overturned on its side, and one car had struck another head-on. Smoke was rising from under the crumpled hood of one of the vehicles, a small blue coupe.

Hank jumped from the cab, "Kelly – take a reel line and wash down the gas. Marco - disconnect the battery cables!"

Gage, Reese, and Roy exited the squad and put their turnout gear on.

Roy looked at the other two paramedics and said, "I'll go check on the guy in the tractor trailer."

Johnny quickly looked around and directed Reese, "You get a look at the blue car. I'll take the white one."

As Reese grabbed the pry bar from one of the squad's compartments, Gage handed her a handie-talkie. "Do an assessment and get back to me on the HT."

Reese grabbed the HT and raced over to the car. All the windows were up, and the windshield was shattered, obscuring the view from outside the vehicle. She looked inside and found a young woman slumped over the steering wheel. Knocking on the driver's side window, she yelled, "Ma'am? Are you OK? Can you hear me? Ma'am?"

Getting no response from the driver, Reese set the pry bar between the driver's door and the body of the car. After a little maneuvering, the door popped open, and she laid the metal tool on the ground. She gently positioned the woman backwards against the seat. She ungloved her hand and felt for a carotid pulse. Blood ran from the top of the woman's head, down the side of her face, and from her nose and mouth. A large, angry bruise appeared on her forehead.

Again, Reese reached for the woman's neck to feel for any sign of life. She pulled the flashlight out of her pocket and shone it into the victim's eyes. Using her thumb, she forced one eyelid open, then, the other. She clicked off the light and hooked it into her front pocket.

Johnny arrived at the white car with its single occupant. The middle-aged man was slumped over the steering wheel, mumbling incoherently. He sustained a bump on his forehead and a gash over his left eye. A thin stream of crimson liquid ran down the left side of his head staining the collar of his white shirt.

"Sir – are you OK? Can you hear me? Sir? Are you alright?"

The man straightened up in the driver's seat. "*hic* Oh, hello ossifer. Nice day, isn't it?" He leaned towards Johnny and answered, "I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

Gage waved the man's alcohol-laden breath out of his face. "Well, you've got a bump on your head, and you're bleeding. Let me take a look at you here. Do you hurt anywhere else?"

"*hic* No."

Gage took the penlight out of his pocket and began to assess the man for a head injury.

The man became annoyed, pushed Johnny's hand away, and began to protest. "Hey, whaddya think you're doing?"

"I'm just making sure that you don't have a head injury. It looks like you hit the steering wheel pretty hard," he explained.

Just then, the HT crackled to life. "John – it's Reese. I need you over here."

Gage pointed to the drunk driver and said, "Don't move. Wait here. I'll be right back."

He rushed over to the car where Reese was still surveying the patient. "Whaddya got?"

"She's gone," Reese answered. "No carotid, pupils blown. Crushing chest injury where she hit the wheel."

Gage did a quick survey by shining the light in the victim's eyes and placing his fingers under her jaw for a pulse. Finding nothing, he turned to her and said, "You're right. Go get a blanket outta the squad."

Reese ran back to the squad. Opening one of the compartments, she took out a yellow blanket. As she hurried back to the car, she removed the plastic from the blanket and covered the deceased woman. A sick feeling developed in her stomach as she glanced into the back seat of the car. A wedding gown was lying across the back seat.

One of the patrolmen came walking over to the car and asked, "What have we got?"

Gage looked at the officer and replied, "She's gone."

"How's the other driver?" the officer asked.

"Oh, him? He's all yours as soon as we finish," Johnny said.

"Great – he'll have some questions to answer," the officer noted.

Turning to Reese, Johnny instructed her, "Listen – you take care of bandaging that guy up. I'm gonna see if Roy needs any help. Get me on the HT if you need me."

"Got it."

She approached the window of the car and said, "Sir, can you get out of the car for me, please?"

"Yes, sir, ossifer, I mean ma'am." He opened his door and stumbled getting out of the car. Leaning back against the driver's side door to steady himself, he said, "Hey, you're a woman!"

"Thanks for noticing." She tore open an alcohol wipe and began to clean the man's cut. Takin 4, she unwrapped it and applied it to the man's forehead.

"Ouch! That hurt," he slurred.

"Sorry." She opened a roll of gauze and began to wind it around the man's head.

"H-h-how's the person in the other car?"

Reese paused for a split second before responding. "She's in no pain."

"Oh, good. For a minute there, I thought I killed someone."

She gave him a disgusted look and motioned for the officer to come over. "He's all yours."

"Thanks. C'mon with me, Mister. We've got some talking to do." The officer grabbed the stumbling man by the arm and led him away to his waiting patrol car.

Reese closed the trauma box and hurried over to the tractor trailer where Gage and DeSoto were working with Marco and Kelly to extricate the truck driver from the twisted rig using the ajax tool and the jaws of life.

Cap approached to check on their progress. "How's the other driver?"

Reese replied, "One is code F; the other is ok – just a minor bruise and lacerated forehead. He's talking to the police right now."

Captain Stanley shook his head as he started to walk away. Speaking into the HT, he said, "LA, this is Engine 51, we have a code F. Request a coroner at this location."

"10-4, Engine 51," came the reply from the dispatcher.

After peeling back the truck's windshield and cutting through the frame, John and Roy were finally able to remove the trucker from the tangled cab. Marco and Chet helped them carry the victim away from the damaged vehicle on a backboard.

Reese set up the drug box, trauma box, and biophone near the squad. She grabbed the BP cuff from the drug box and began taking the man's blood pressure. Roy established contact with Rampart.

Johnny's skilled hands were quickly moving the man's extremities. Turning to Roy, he said "I think he's got a fractured femur." Once he was done with that, he checked the man's ears for any telltale sign of skull fracture. "No skull fracture."

Reese called out the man's vital signs. "BP 100/70. Pulse is 92. Respirations are 16."

Gage tested the man's pupils with his penlight. "Pupils are equal and reactive."

"No abdominal tenderness or guarding," Reese explained as she checked the man's abdomen.

Johnny stopped for a second and did a double take. Lifting the man's shirt, he pointed out a large bruise on his left side.

"Reese, check that again…look here."

She palpitated the bruise. "Correction, Roy. He's got slight rigidity and bruising in the lower left quadrant."

Roy informed the ER, "Correction Rampart; patient has slight abdominal rigidity and bruising in his lower left quadrant."

Gage took the stethoscope and listening intently, began to check the victim's lungs. "Roy, sounds like we might have a pneumo on the left side, too."

Reese quickly looked up at Johnny. "WHAT?!"

"Listen," Gage told her.

She placed the stethoscope on the man's chest and listened again. "DAMMIT!"

"Go get the oxygen," Johnny instructed her.

Reese retrieved the oxygen canister from the compartment and brought it back to Gage. He unwrapped the tubing from the tank, he said "Let's get him on 6 liters of 02."

After stabilizing the driver, the paramedics wheeled him to the ambulance.

Gage looked at Reese. "You comin' in with me?"

"Yeah…"

After helping Gage load the patient and the equipment, she boarded the ambulance. Roy closed the doors and slapped them twice.

Dixie was waiting at the entrance to the ER, when the ambulance rolled in. As the paramedics unloaded the patient, Reese jumped from the back of the rig holding the IV aloft as they hurried the man into the treatment room. Dr. Early came rushing in as they transferred the patient from the gurney onto the examining table. Reese wound her way between nurses to hang up the IV. Dixie came in to assist Joe.

Johnny asked Dr. Early, "Doc, do you need us anymore?"

"No, Johnny, we're all set."

Reese picked up the canister of oxygen, and the paramedics left the room. As the door to the room closed behind them, Reese looked around for a minute. Roy had just parked the squad and entered the emergency area, looking for his partners

"I'm just going find a place to clean up," she said.

"That's fine. We've got a few minutes. Roy and I will be in the lounge."

She walked down the hall and into the ladies' room. Removing her watch, she put it on the sink, and began to scrub her hands. She spent another minute to washing and rinsing her face. After drying her hands with a paper towel, she fastened the watch to her left wrist, threw the paper towel in the trash, and walked out of the room.

Meanwhile, Roy and Johnny had poured themselves a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

"You think she's all right?"

"I think she's fine. She told me in the ambulance she was OK."

"I don't know…maybe that fatality shook her up."

"Roy – listen to me, she's fine."

"Yeah…maybe."

"Do you remember our first day on the job? Everybody gets nervous."

She slowly walked down the hallway towards the doctors' lounge and hesitated for a moment before opening the door.

Johnny smiled as she entered. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. What makes you think I wouldn't be?"

"Oh, nothing…"

"Johnny was just asking if you feel all right, that's all. This job is tough enough without a fatality on your first few days of training."

"I appreciate your concern, but I'm fine…really."

"Well, in that case, let's get back to the station. Stoker's cooking today, and he told me it was spaghetti."

Gage smile at Reese and said, "You haven't had anything until you've had Mike Stoker's spaghetti."

"Is it that good?" she questioned.

"It's THAT good," Roy replied.

Arriving at the station, Roy backed the squad into its proper place and shifted the vehicle into park.

Johnny was the first one to notice. "Oh, man. I can smell it now…mmmmm. I hope those guys left enough for the rest of us."

Roy chuckled. "Johnny – you know Stoker. He makes enough to feed the Chinese Army."

The three paramedics got out of the cab and walked towards the kitchen. A large bowl of fresh salad and a platter of garlic bread sat in the center of the table as Marco put out the plates and silverware. Johnny went over to the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk. Carrying it over to the table, he filled his co-worker's glasses with milk and set each on the table, next to their plate.

Roy headed to the kitchen cabinets. Reese followed. Opening the doors, he pulled out the salt, pepper, and Italian cheese. Handing them to Reese, he said "Why don't you put these on the table?"

"Sure." She took the items and set them on the table next to the butter dish. Chet and Stoker were at the stove. Chet took the boiling pot of pasta and strained it in the sink. He handed the bowl of steaming spaghetti to Mike, who ladled it with his special sauce.

Captain Stanley sauntered into the kitchen. "Smells good, Stoker! Let's eat!"

The lunch dishes had been cleared away. Because she had drawn the short straw, Reese grabbed a dishrag and began to clean the stove and countertop. Then, she gathered all the dirty dishes, pots, and pans into the sink, squirted in the dishwashing liquid, and ran water over them. Using a sponge, she washed each item and carefully set them in the sink to rinse.

Roy was busy sweeping the floor. He gathered the dust into a pile and swept it into the dustpan. Marco had taken all of the leftovers, put them into plastic containers, and stacked them neatly in the refrigerator. Kelly was busy scrubbing the kitchen table.

Cap entered with a file in his hands and stopped in front of Gage, who was sitting on the sofa, reading the newspaper.

"Hey, John –"

Gage looked over the top of his newspaper. "Yeah, Cap?"

"I was just looking over the monthly incident reports. You didn't get a chance to complete this one from two weeks ago. You know your hospital bills won't get paid until you complete the form…in triplicate."

"Which one is that?"

Cap opened the folder and handed him the form. "This one."

"Oh, yeah…the rusty nail. OK, Cap. I'll finish it now." Johnny pulled the green Bic pen out of his left front pocket and began to fill in the required parts of the form.

Chet walked over to the sink and started to wipe the wet dishes. "Gage, if there's one thing you should know, it's how to fill out those incident reports…"

"Oh, shut up, Chet."

It was all Reese could do to keep the smile off her face.

Suddenly, the tones sounded, and the dispatcher's voice could be heard throughout out the station.

*****SQUAD 51 – MAN DOWN – 247 Sunnyside - 247 Sunnyside. Cross street Guerin. Time out 13:14*****

Reese quickly removed the apron from her waist and wiped her hands on the nearest towel. Johnny left the form on the table next to the couch. Both rushed to the squad. Roy stopped to check the map.

Hank wrote down the information on the call sheet. "10-4, Squad 51. KMG-365".

Roy took the sheet and handed it to Johnny.

"Man down…that could be anything," Johnny sighed.

Pulling up to the curb in front of a small, well-kept house on a tree-lined street, the three paramedics got out of the squad and gathered the necessary gear.

A hysterical woman was at the curb waiting for them. "I'm so glad you're here. It's my husband! Hurry!"

Johnny, Reese, and Roy followed the woman into the house.

"He's down here…he can't move!"

The trio followed the woman to the open door. They looked down to discover a man, laying spread eagle on the basement floor, with kids' toys lying at his feet.

The three medics slowly descended the stairs.

"I left for a few minutes to bring the kids to school, and when I got back, I found him there!"

Putting down the gear, Reese knelt next to the man. "Sir, we're here to help. Can you move at all?"

"No…I CAN'T move. Do you think I'd be lying here if I could?"

Johnny interjected, "Now, just take it easy. We're going to get you outta here. Where do you hurt?"

"All over. I think I threw my back out when I fell down the stairs. Those damn kids. I TOLD them to keep their toys off the steps."

Roy looked at Johnny. "I think we're going to need a backboard. I'll be right back."

Reese opened up the drug box. She took out the stethoscope and the BP cuff to check the man's vitals. "BP is 150/90, Pulse is 110, Respirations are…20." She began to move her hands up and down the victim's extremities, feeling for any broken bones. "Do you hurt anywhere else? Arms? Legs?"

"No. I'm tellin' ya. It's my back. I can't move!"

Reese looked up at Johnny and said, "No apparent fractures."

Johnny picked up the biophone. "Rampart Base, this is Squad 51. How do you read?"

Dr. Morton put down his cup of coffee and started the recording. "This is Rampart Base. Go ahead, 51. We read you loud and clear."

"Rampart, we have a male, approximate age 40. He's fallen down the steps in his home and is complaining of back pain. BP is 150/90, pulse is 110, and respirations are 18. He has a history of back problems in the past."

"51, where is the patient now?"

"Patient is lying on the floor in his basement."

"Did he lose consciousness?"

Johnny looked at the patient for the answer.

"No, I twisted my ankle, and I landed like this. Now I can't move."

"Rampart, negative on the loss of consciousness. Patient is alert."

"OK, 51, Start an IV with normal saline. Administer 5 mg. MS. Transport as soon as possible."

"10-4, Rampart." Johnny dug the proper IV and tubing out of the drug box and handed them to Reese.

Reese gathered the proper tubing and IV packet. As she started the IV, Johnny handed her the syringe with the MS solution in it. She quickly injected the pain medication into the patient's IV port. Looking at the man on the floor, she said, "This is going to make you feel better."

Roy arrived with the backboard and laid it next to the injured man. "Now, we're going to get you onto this board so it will be easier to transport you to the hospital. But don't worry. You just let us do all the work, OK?" Looking at his two partners, Roy knelt down next to the man's legs. Reese was holding the man's upper body, while Johnny held the backboard.

"Sir," Roy said, "We're going to roll you on your side to get this backboard under you. Just relax, OK?"

They gently rolled the man onto his side and slid the backboard beneath him. As they did this, the ambulance attendants descended the stairs with the gurney.

"Take it easy, now. We've got him on this backboard."

The attendants carefully placed the man on the gurney and covered him with a blanket. Johnny walked behind them, holding the IV and the drug box.

"Where are you taking him?"

Reese replied, "We're taking him to Rampart Emergency."

*****SQUAD 51 – POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK – 3846 Freemont - 3846 Freemont. Cross Street Elliott. Time out 15:24*****

Cap ran over to the mike stand and replied, "Squad 51, 10-4 KMG 365."

Tearing off the call slip, he handed it to Roy, who handed it to Gage. Johnny showed it to Reese and made a note on it before putting it over the visor.

Arriving a few minutes later at an apartment complex, Roy pulled the squad into the driveway. The three paramedics exited the vehicle, pulled the required equipment, and hurried through the courtyard. They arrived at the apartment door, where a middle-aged woman was waiting for them.

"He's in here!"

As they ran through the open door the woman knelt next to a man who was sitting upright on the couch. "It's OK, Honey, the fire department is here."

Reese helped the woman up and asked, "Ma'am, would you step away to allow us some room to work? Thank you." She turned to the man and asked, "Sir, how are you feeling?"

"I was fine up until about 30 minutes ago. Then, I got this crushing pain in my chest."

"Do you hurt anywhere else?"

"Yeah, a little – my left arm."

Reese gently moved the man to a lying position. "Let's get you a little more relaxed, OK? Have you had any problems like this before? Any stomach problems, diabetes, headaches, fainting?"

"No. Never."

The man's wife answered, "He's always been healthy."

"Are you on any medications?" Reese asked.

"No. Nothing," the man replied.

Gage set up the biophone as Roy opened the data scope and prepared the patient for an EKG.

Reese felt for a pulse at the man's wrist. She counted the beats as she marked time with her watch. She reached over for the oxygen tank. Securing the cannula to the patient's face, she said, "We're going to give you a little oxygen. It'll help you breathe a little easier."

"Rampart, this is Squad 51, how do you read?"

"Go ahead, 51. We read you loud and clear," Dixie answered, as she picked up a pad to jot down the information. Joe Early walked by, and she motioned for him to help.

Johnny's voice came over the monitor at the base station. "Rampart, we have a male, approximately 50. He is complaining of chest pain and pain radiating down his left arm."

"What are the vitals, 51?" Dr. Early asked.

Reese gave the vital signs to Johnny, who relayed them to Rampart. "Pulse is 92, BP is 140/110; respirations are 16."

"51, has the patient been ill lately?"

Reese shook her head.

"That's negative, Rampart. Patient has no prior history."

"OK, 51, start an IV D5W TKO. Give the patient 5mg. MS IV. Can you send me a strip?"

"10-4, Rampart, IV D5W TKO, 5 mg. MS IV. We're patching him in now. EKG will be lead 2."

Roy went through the drug box and picked out the required medications as Reese began to attach the EKG leads to the man's chest.

Officer Vince Howard arrived on the scene. "Ma'am, would you mind stepping outside so I can get some information from you?" He escorted her onto the front porch.

Roy looked at the scope and said, "He's throwing PVC's."

"Rampart, patient is throwing PVC's."

The order came from Dr. Early, "Administer 100 mg. lidocaine IV push and a lidocaine drip."

"10-4, Rampart, 100 mg. lidocaine IV push and a lidocaine drip."

Roy injected the additional medication into the IV port. Johnny turned the scope around to look at it.

"V-FIB! Rampart, patient is going into V-FIB." Reese and DeSoto quickly got up and moved the man from the couch to the floor.

"Counter shock – 400 watt seconds."

Reese handed the paddles to Roy. He held them as she put the gel on them.

Roy readied the paddles as John pressed the defibrillator charge button. As the voltage increased, he counted, "1, 2, 3, 400 watt seconds."

"CLEAR!"

The man's body arched as Roy delivered the electric shock.

The man's wife began to scream hysterically. "What are you doing to him? Oh, my God! He needs a doctor NOW!"

Vince held the woman back and said, "Ma'am. Please. They know what they're doing. They're talking to a doctor and taking his instructions."

"Nothing - hit him again," Gage said, as he counted off the rising voltage on the meter.

"CLEAR!" Once again, Roy countershocked the man. The scope showed no change in the rhythm of the man's heart.

"51 – Begin CPR – administer 1 amp Bi-carb. Insert esophageal airway," Early ordered.

"10-4, Rampart. 1 amp Bi-carb."

Reese assembled the airway and handed it to Roy. He inserted it as Johnny was administering the bi-carb. Roy put the stethoscope to the victim's lungs and stated, "He's getting air."

Gage looked at the scope again. "V-FIB!"

Again, Johnny charged the de-fibrillator. "1, 2, 3, 4."

"CLEAR!"

Roy defibrillated the man again. He looked at the Data Scope and said, "Flat line."

"Rampart, patient is flat line."

"Give him 1/10,000 epinephrine IV and continue CPR."

"10-4, Rampart. 1/10,000 Epinephrine IV and continue CPR." Gage injected the man and turned back to read the scope, while DeSoto resumed CPR and Reese administered the oxygen.

"Rampart, we are unable to get a rhythm. Patient is still flat line."

"Continue CPR and get him in here STAT." Dr. Early turned to Dixie. "See if you can get Kel down here." Dixie nodded and headed down the hallway.

"10-4, Rampart."

The ambulance attendants rolled the gurney into the room, and the paramedics swiftly moved the patient onto it for transport to Rampart. The man's wife followed behind the gurney as he was wheeled into the ambulance.

The ambulance arrived at the hospital within a few minutes and backed into its designated space. Two orderlies ran to the rig and opened the doors. The patient was lowered to the pavement. Johnny was riding the gurney while giving the man CPR.

Reese ran alongside and continued to administer the oxygen. Dixie was in the hallway directing them to one of the treatment rooms. Dr. Early and Dr. Brackett followed them into the room. Gage continued the heart massage, while Reese was still giving the man oxygen as he was quickly transferred onto the treatment table.

In the hallway, Roy was waiting by the ER desk. He was leaning against the wall near the base station as Vince arrived with the man's wife.

She spotted Roy waiting by the desk. She quickly walked over to him and asked, "Where's my husband? How is he?"

Roy pointed to the treatment room. "He's in there with the doctors now. They're doing everything they can."

She turned and approached the treatment room door. Roy quickly grabbed her by the shoulders. He gently led her away from the door and said, "You can't go in there right now. They'll come out as soon as they know something." He paused for a minute and asked, "Can I get you anything?"

"No. I'll be OK."

"They have some of the best doctors in the county here."

The woman wiped her eyes with a tissue. "Yes, I know." She paused, sighed heavily, and tried to get herself together. "It happened so suddenly. He was feeling fine this morning."

Roy took the woman by the arm and led her to the ER waiting area. "As soon as they have him stabilized, someone will be out to talk to you. It's best that you wait here."

The woman looked at Roy. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Thank you for everything."

A few minutes later, the door to the treatment room opened. Dr. Brackett and Dr. Early exited the room first, followed by John, Dixie, and Reese.

Dr. Brackett took the stethoscope from his neck and put it into his lab coat pocket. "We did everything we could." He saw Roy sitting next to a woman in the waiting area. "That must be his wife. I'll go talk to her."

Brackett and Dixie slowly walked over to where the woman was sitting. "Mrs. Stevenson?"

"Doctor.…how's my husband?"

"I'm sorry. We did everything we could."

Suddenly, a flood of emotion washed over the woman. Dixie rushed up to her and hugged her as she cried hysterically. "It's not fair! He was fine this morning! This can't be happening!"

"C'mon. Let's go someplace a little quieter, OK?" Dixie suggested, as she led the sobbing woman into the lounge.

Brackett sighed heavily as he looked at the three paramedics. "We did everything we could."

"He coded three times in the ambulance on the way here," Gage said.

Reese looked at the two paramedics and the two doctors. She softly said, "Is that supposed to make it any easier?"

Brackett turned and said, "No, it's not. But when you've done everything you can do…"

"I know," she said.

Roy turned to his two partners and said, "C'mon. Let's go home."

Dr. Early turned to Brackett and said, "Not a great way to start your training, huh."

Brackett slapped Joe on the back and said, "We all know it doesn't get any easier, Joe. It's all part of the job."

An awkward silence hung in the squad. Johnny and Roy exchanged worried glances while Reese seemed to stare at the road, straight ahead. Roy started the engine, shifted the squad into gear and pulled away from the hospital

Johnny picked up the mike and said "LA – Squad 51, returning to quarters."

Sam Lanier's voice came back over the radio. "10-4, Squad 51."

Roy spoke up first. "You know, there was nothing more we could have done."

Reese bowed her head. "Yeah, I know. It doesn't make it any easier."

"Things like this are going to happen," Roy continued. "It's a fact of life. You can't take it personally."

Johnny watched the scenery pass by out the passenger window. The squad made its way through a residential neighborhood, when he spotted two little girls and a little boy with a dog, trying to flag them down. "Roy! Pull over."

As the three paramedics got out of the truck, one of the little girls ran up to them. "Are you guys firemen?"

Johnny knelt down in front of the little girl. "We sure are."

The other little girl piped up, "We need your help."

"It's OK…are you hurt?"

"No…it's my cat."

"Your cat?"

"Yeah…she's stuck in the tree, and she can't get down. You gotta do something, Mister. She's gonna die up there."

Johnny smiled. "No, she's not gonna die up there." He turned to his two partners. "Well…?"

"Please…" One little girl started to cry. "You gotta help her!"

"OK, show me where she is."

The little girl took Johnny by the hand and brought him over to a large maple tree. He looked up and spotted the cat, who was sitting on a branch. The cat let out a mournful "meow".

The little girl turned to the young boy holding the dog on the leash. "My cat wouldn't be up there if it wasn't for your stupid dog."

"My dog's not stupid. Your CAT is stupid."

Johnny did his best to hide the smile that was crossing his face. "OK, OK, now settle down." He turned to Roy and said, "This won't take long." Grasping one of the lower hanging branches, he boosted himself up and began to climb the tree, carefully putting one foot on each successive branch.

"Hey, Johnny, keep an eye out for that branch." Roy cautioned.

"What branch?" he asked, as he continued his way up the tree. As he put his weight on one of the limbs, a loud crack was heard, and he fell out of the tree.

"THAT branch…"

Johnny picked himself off the ground and brushed away the dirt and twigs from his uniform.

"Are you OK?"

He shot Roy an exasperated look. "Yes, I'm OK." He looked up the tree again. "Oh, no…she's gone higher."

Reese walked over to the tree, and looked up. "Let me give it a try. I'm a little smaller, perhaps…"

"Just be careful. I don't want to have to treat TWO partners," Roy quipped.

"Can you give me a leg up?"

Johnny and Roy walked over to the tree, and made a hand step so Reese could get a foothold on the trunk. Slowly and carefully, she began her ascent.

"C'mon, kitty…it's going to be all right."

"Her name is Charlie," the little girl informed.

"It's OK, Charlie. I'm here to help you." She slowly inched her way forward and grasped the cat. "Gotcha!" Turning to her partners on the ground, she said, "I've got her. I'm on my way down."

Slowly and carefully, Reese backed down the tree while holding the frightened tabby. As she put her foot down on the next branch, it snapped, sending her and the cat tumbling ten feet onto the sidewalk.

The two paramedics helped her up. She turned to the little girl and handed her the frightened cat. "Here you go."

The girl hugged the cat. "Thank you! C'mon Charlie, let's go home."

Reese bent over, trying to catch her breath.

Johnny patted her on the back. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She dusted herself off. "I just skinned my knee."

Johnny laughed. "Where'd you learn how to climb so well?"

"Girl Scout Camping Badge…" Reese smiled as the three paramedics walked back to the squad.

Dinner dishes had been cleared, washed, and put away. In the corner of the room, the television sat silently, since the movie had ended a while ago. The only light in the station was the kitchen ceiling light. Reese sat at the table, reading the newspaper. She had spread the paper across the table and was scouring each page.

Johnny walked into the kitchen, wearing his turnout pants and t-shirt. He poured himself a glass of milk before going over to the cookie jar and removing two cookies. Pulling out a chair, he sat on the opposite side of the table, and placed his cookies and milk in front of him.

"What are you looking for, a new job?" He chuckled.

Reese didn't look up. She kept reading the paper. "Yeah, maybe. Maybe I should"

"C'mon. You're not serious." He studied her face for a minute. "It's about that freeway pile up and that heart attack victim this afternoon, right? That's what's been bothering you, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Well, don't let it worry you. We caught the truck driver in time. And that heart attack victim…he was gone before he got to Rampart. Even Brackett said so."

"Yeah, but…"

"But what? You think you're supposed to take care of these patients by yourself? This isn't some kind of survival test or something. It's called field training for a reason…to TRAIN. You can't be expected to know everything all at once, Reese."

Neither of them heard Roy enter the kitchen. "I'm sorry – I couldn't help overhearing your conversation." He sat down at the table next to Gage. "You're not expected to be perfect. After all, you ARE human. Like Johnny said…they call it training for a reason. You're going to have days like this…when you doubt your own competence. We all have them."

Gage got up and rinsed out his glass and put it in the dish drainer. "We've all been through times like these. You do the best you can with what you've learned."

Roy studied her face for a reaction.

Reese continued to look at the paper. "I'm beginning to think that maybe this whole idea was a mistake…"

"Wanna know something? That's a natural reaction. You're worried that you're going to make errors. Well, it's a big, bad, scary world out there. There are going to be people you can help, and people you can't. Concentrate on the people you've helped and learn from those who couldn't be saved." Roy thought for a minute. "If your intention is to be the perfect paramedic, I'm sorry to tell you that they don't exist…not in the real world, anyway."

"Do you think that Roy and I weren't afraid?" Johnny chuckled. Waving his arms around, he said, "Man, we were out there doing all this stuff and people wouldn't even accept the fact that we could help 'em! You don't know what pressure is. Imagine being two of SIX guys in one of the first classes. Everyone watching every move you make. Trying to find a reason to shut down the program. THAT'S pressure." Walking over to the sink, he rinsed out his glass and placed it in the dish drainer.

"Besides," Roy continued, "How will you know what you're capable of if you don't try?"

Johnny started to walk out of the kitchen. He turned back and said, "You've come this far. Don't give up yet."

Roy got up from his seat at the table. "Put those want ads away. I have a feeling you're not going to need them." He turned and walked out of the kitchen, leaving Reese at the table by herself.

She leaned back in the chair. The clock on the wall said 1:14.

_**Journal Entry**_

_**Today was a tough day. We had our hands full with eight runs.**_

_**The first run of the day was a pileup on 405. A wrong way drunk driver caused a tractor-trailer to jackknife. The rig swerved to avoid the car and overturned. The car went on to strike another car head-on. The trucker was trapped in his rig for about 30 minutes. He sustained lung and abdominal injuries. During my assessment, I missed the rigidity in his abdomen and the pneumo. Roy and John talked to me after the rescue to make sure I was OK. I told them that everything was fine, but I know they didn't buy it.**_

_**In the midst of that chaos, there was one fatality. I was the first one to the car. There was no carotid. No pulse, no breathing…nothing. She couldn't have been more than 21 years old. The thing that really got to me was that she had a brand new wedding gown in the back seat of the car, and the floor was littered with bridal magazines. Such a waste.**_

_**The drunk driver came out of it with a laceration and a bump on the head. What's that old saying about God protecting drunks?**_

_**The last run of the day was a heart attack victim. A man in his 40's. We worked on him for what seemed to be an hour, but it was probably less than 30 minutes. We shocked him at least twice at the scene and twice in the ambulance. Dr. Brackett couldn't save him in the ER. He tried everything, but said the man was probably gone when we brought him in. That doesn't make it any easier.**_

_**I'm beginning to wonder if this is all a mistake. Maybe the next couple of days off will help.**_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Early morning sunlight streamed through the blinds into the room. The lone figure lay in bed surrounded by various textbooks and manuals. In one corner of the bedroom, the TV was still on. Suddenly, the young woman felt a poking sensation on her face. She slowly opened one eye to discover that Roscoe was swiping at her nose, trying to wake her up.

"Go away, you fur ball," she begged. He tried again, this time a little harder.

"I said go away," she mumbled.

Roscoe thought for a minute. He moved a little closer to her face and started to lick her nose.

She finally managed to open both eyes to see the mound of black and white fur breathing in her face.

As she sat up, several books fell onto the floor. She picked them up and put them back on the bed. Taking a minute to stretch, she slowly made her way to the TV and turned it off. It didn't take long for Smokey to appear, and the two felines strolled in between her legs and around her ankles. She tripped over them as she headed into the kitchen.

Reese stopped at the cupboard, and pulled out their food. After pouring the crunchy bits into their metal bowl, she put the box away and filled the other dish with water. Taking a deep breath, she glanced at the clock on the kitchen counter. 5:42 a.m. Great, she thought, I have just enough time for a quick jog and shower before leaving for work.

The squad arrived at a nice home on a cul-de-sac. A freckle faced 10 year-old boy ran from the front porch and met them at the curb.

"She's in here – come quick! You gotta help my mom!"

"What's wrong?"

"She's in a lot of pain. Ya gotta hurry!"

The three paramedics gathered the drug box, biophone, data scope, and oxygen.

"What's your mom's name?"

"Angie. I'm Todd. Hurry!"

The trio ran into the house and found a pregnant woman lying in the middle of the living room floor. Sweat was running down her face, as she moaned in pain.

Johnny was the first one into the room. Smiling at the woman, he said, "Hi, there!"

The woman was breathing hard. "Hi!"

"How far apart are the contractions?"

"About 2 ½ minutes. They came on too fast…my son...he called you." She laughed. "I guess he forgot to tell the operator that I was pregnant."

Reese put down some of the gear. "I'll get the OB kit."

Johnny turned to the young boy and said, "Why don't you wait on the porch? We're gonna need your help to let the ambulance attendants in. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes, Sir." He ran out to the porch, as his mother moaned through another contraction.

Roy dug through the drug box and put on the stethoscope. "This baby is not gonna wait. How far along are you?"

"30 weeks," the woman replied. Wincing in pain, she said, "My husband is away on a business trip. I was hoping he'd be back in time. He's scheduled to come home tomorrow."

Johnny smiled at the woman and said, "Now, Angie, don't you worry. Everything's gonna be all right. We've got doctors on the other end of the line. You're going to be OK."

Reese returned with the OB kit. She opened the kit and removed a sheet. After she covered the woman, Johnny handed her a pair of rubber gloves as Roy opened the link to Rampart.

"Rampart base, this is Squad 51."

Dr. Early's voice came over the receiver. "Go ahead, 51."

"Rampart, we have a female, approximately 29 in an advanced state of pregnancy. She is in labor with contractions about 2 ½ minutes apart. BP is 120/75, pulse is 96."

"Is she dilated?"

Johnny answered, "About 7 centimeters."

"Rampart, about 7 centimeters."

"51 – We'll stand by. Sounds like everything is under control."

Johnny looked up and started to give Angie instructions on how to breathe. "OK, everything is going to be fine. I need you to push when I say. OK?"

She nodded her head.

"OK. Take a deep breath and PUSH!" Johnny paused. "OK – OK, one more time – PUSH!"

Angie took a deep breath and followed Johnny's instructions.

Johnny spoke over his shoulder, "Reese, I need you to…yeah…nice and gentle."

The mother became worried. "What's wrong?"

"The cord is around the baby's neck," Johnny replied.

"Oh my God."

"Shh – it's nothing to worry about…we've got it. It's going to be all right. OK – I need you to push one more time. Take a deep breath and push!"

He turned towards Reese again. "OK – OK, syringe…yeah, that's good. Cut there. Yeah. Perfect."

The newborn began to wail.

Angie began to get worried. "Is the baby OK?"

Reese wrapped the child in a blanket. As she held the baby for a minute, Johnny did a quick check of the baby's vital signs. She turned to the mother and said, "The baby is more than OK. She's beautiful."

Reese handed the child to Angie as Todd came rushing into the house. "The ambulance guys are here!"

Roy picked up the biophone. "Rampart – we have a successful delivery. Mother and daughter are doing well and are ready to transport."

"Nice job, 51. We'll be here."

Johnny turned to Todd, who was standing by his mother. Angie was holding the baby as she was getting readied for transport.

"Isn't she beautiful, Sweetheart?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Todd replied, "But I'd rather have a puppy."

Driving back from Rampart, Johnny glanced at Reese sitting in the squad beside him. "Was that your first?"

"Yeah," she smiled.

"Well, what do you know?" Johnny suddenly gave Roy a devious grin. "Hey, Roy, how about that time-honored Station 51 tradition? First assist buys lunch."

Roy smiled. "Oh, yeah…I'd forgotten all about that."

"You know what that means don't you?" Johnny pointed at Reese and joked. "That means you're buying."

Roy pulled the squad into the parking lot of a small diner named "Franks-a-Lot". A huge fiberglass dachshund, wearing a clown hat and wrapped in a hot dog bun was perched on the roof. Just below the mascot, the sign said "Eat Here or We'll Both Starve".

"This place?" Reese asked in astonishment. "You've gotta be kidding. This place looks like it should be condemned."

"Yes, this place," Johnny answered.

"They make the best hot dogs, and their hamburgers aren't too bad, either," Roy smiled as he parked the squad. The three paramedics slid out of the squad and walked up to the ordering window. Johnny stopped and stared at the menu.

Roy looked at him and smiled, "I don't know why you look at the menu…you order the same thing every time we stop."

"Well, now, I'm not paying for it today, am I?" He said with a wicked grin as he raised an eyebrow at Reese.

Roy rolled his eyes and shook his head.

Johnny approached the window and ordered two chili dogs with the works, fries, and lemonade. When it was Roy's turn, he ordered two cheeseburgers with everything, onion rings and iced tea. Reese got to the window and ordered a burger and lemonade. The man prepared the food as Johnny claimed a picnic table under the shade of a massive tree.

The man behind the counter added up the total. Looking at Roy, he said "That will be $7.15."

Reese reached into her pocket and handed him a $10 bill. Roy took the tray of food back to the table as the man counted out Reese's change.

When she arrived at the table, Roy had just finished passing out the food. Johnny had already devoured half a chili dog and was wiping his face as she sat down.

She took a bite of her burger. Wiping her mouth, she said "Man, these are good. I didn't think it would be possible by the looks of the place. These are great!"

Johnny smiled at her with his mouth full and mumbled, "It goes to show you can't judge a book by its cover."

It didn't take long for the three of them to finish lunch. After depositing their trash in the trash can, they got back into the squad and headed for the station. After Roy backed the vehicle into the bay, the paramedics went into the kitchen. Johnny headed for the coffee pot.

"You guys missed lunch," Kelly said as he finished putting the dishes into the dish drainer.

"That's OK," Roy answered as he shot a look to Johnny. "We had a few extra minutes, so we got something at the hospital."

Johnny was drinking from his coffee cup when Chet walked over and stood before him.

"Uh, Johnny…"

"Yeah, Chet?"

"You've got a stain on your uniform."

Johnny looked up at Roy with a slight edge of panic. "Oh, yeah, I guess I was so hungry…"

"Know what else? You smell like onions and chili!" He turned to Captain Stanley. "Aw, Cap, they stopped at Franks-a-Lot!"

"You didn't..." Cap said. "You KNOW better than to go there and not bring anything back."

"Well, uh, Cap, it's like this…Uh, we didn't…uh. Ya see, sir, it was Reese's first assist on a delivery."

"So?"

Johnny began to get a little nervous. "So, we fell back on that old Station 51 tradition."

"Which is…?" The other men in the kitchen began to gather behind Captain Stanley and shoot daggers in Johnny's direction. Roy was sitting at the table, trying to hide his face in his hands.

Gage was fidgeting now and trying to weasel his way out of a tight spot. "Whenever a trainee has their first assist, they buy lunch," he said as he chuckled nervously.

"Oh, is that right?" Captain Stanley turned to Reese who was trying her best not to smile. "Is that what you were told, Reese?"

"Yes, Sir."

Captain Stanley turned back to Johnny. "And, WHEN did this tradition start?"

Johnny began to laugh nervously. He cleared his throat and replied, "11:30 this morning."

"Eleven thirty this morning?!" Cap exclaimed. "That's it, you twit. I'm giving you latrine duty for the next week! DeSoto, you should have known better as well. You can HELP Gage with the latrine for the next week. Any questions?"

Roy and Johnny looked at one another and sheepishly replied, "No, Sir, Cap."

"Good." He turned to Reese and pointed. "If there's one thing you will learn around here, it's that you NEVER stop at Franks-a-Lot without bringing anything back for the rest of us. Understood?"

"Yes, Captain Stanley. Understood."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Saturday started early at the Stanley residence, and the entire family was kept busy with the many last-minute preparations before guests arrived. The sky was a color of blue not often seen around Los Angeles, while a slight breeze wafted through the trees rustling the leaves. Picnic tables covered in red and white checkered tablecloths were pushed together to form one long dining area.

Another table was located near the grill, where Hank stood overseeing the preparation of the coals. He was wearing an apron that read FIREMEN NEVER LET DINNER BURN. It had been a gift from his daughters for Father's Day.

For the most part, Hank enjoyed cooking on the grill. In his mind, cooking in the kitchen was woman's work.

"Dammit. I wish SOMEBODY would invent a better way to barbecue," he said as the azure blue smoke rose from the grill. Hank was having a difficult time getting the charcoal to light, so he moved the coals around again and gave them another squirt of lighter fluid. Flames roared to life as he struck a match and dropped it onto the pile of briquettes.

Millie laughed. "Honey, men have been doing it this way for centuries. Why change now? After all, isn't that how early man survived – by cooking over an open flame?"

"Yes, dear. I suppose you're right, but you'd think after eons of evolution, we would have come farther than this."

"Everything will be fine, Hank. Just like it is every year." Mrs. Stanley rubbed her husband on the back, letting her hand linger for a moment. She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going to see if the girls have everything under control in the kitchen. I don't want to leave them unsupervised in there for too long." She smiled as she thought of their most recent wedding anniversary when the girls "surprised" their parents by making breakfast in bed for them. How pancake batter got into the ceiling light fixtures was a mystery. Even though Millie and Hank were touched by the girls' thoughtfulness, it took the Stanleys nearly an hour to restore the kitchen to some sense of normalcy.

Millie walked into the house, leaving Hank to his duties as chief cook. It was nearly 11:30, and his crew would be arriving soon. He looked forward to this outing every year. It was his way of thanking his men for their hard work. He considered himself to be the luckiest fire captain on the planet. Not only were the men dedicated to their jobs, but they were dedicated to him and to each other. He'd heard stories about other stations and some of the personnel problems they had. The Station 51 A-shift was like family, and they looked up to him. Hank made it clear that his door was always open, and he felt good whenever they sought him out for advice or to get his input on a personal problem.

Looking around his tree-lined property, he noticed that the girls had set up the volleyball net. Over in the corner of the yard was the horseshoe pit. Hank installed it a few weeks ago, thinking that it might be fun to try something new this year. The above ground pool and deck were located off the back of the house. Bright sunlight danced on the crystal water, creating a shimmering rainbow. Along the white picket fence bordering the neighbor's yard was the rose garden. The Stanleys loved to spend their spare time in the garden together tending to the flowers. They set this area aside as their special place. It had a stone walkway, a park bench, and a few scattered bird feeders. Hank had started the garden as a gift to Millie on their first wedding anniversary. Different varieties of roses were added to mark yearly anniversaries as well as special events, like the birth of their two daughters.

Hank took one last stroll around the yard to make sure everything was in place. Located near the ends of the picnic tables were several galvanized tubs full of ice where the liquid refreshments lay. There were sodas, juice and water for the children in one and a variety of beer and wine coolers for the adults in the other.

The serving tables were laden with a variety of side dishes and salads. Millie had worked hard to create a beautiful spread with fresh salads, freshly cut watermelon, assorted veggies, and homemade desserts. On one end of the serving table, pitchers of iced tea and homemade lemonade stood next to a stack of disposable cups.

Hank was brought back to the task at hand when he heard the slamming of four car doors. Within a minute or two, he heard two sets of little feet running up behind him.

"Captain Stanley!"

He turned just in time to greet Brian and Kevin Stoker. Both boys loved Hank. The five year-old twins resembled Mike, right down to the color of their eyes.

He picked both of them up and exclaimed, "Whoa, guys! Take it easy! You don't want to get tired out before all the fun begins, do you?"

"We waited a long time for today! Yeah, this is our next favoritest day besides Christmas!"

Hank let out a laugh while Eva and Mike approached. "Ya know something, guys? It's one of MY favorite days, too!" He put the two boys down and leaned over to give Eva a kiss on the cheek.

"Mike, glad you and Eva could make it," he said while offering a hearty handshake to his engineer.

"We wouldn't miss this for the world, Captain Stanley," Eva explained. "It's such a nice thing you do."

"Well, nothing is too good for my men. They deserve it. Why don't you two grab a seat? We've got plenty of liquid refreshments. Millie will be right out."

"I think I'll go in to see if she needs any help in the kitchen. Will you excuse me?" She walked away, leaving Mike with Hank.

"Need any help with that, Cap?"

"No, sir. This is MY responsibility," he said as he moved the coals around the grill. "I hope you're hungry. We've got burgers and dogs for the kids. Steak, ribs, and chicken for the rest of us."

As Hank and Mike were talking, more voices could be heard in the background. The DeSoto family had arrived. Roy and Joanne walked up the driveway and around the side of the house hand in hand, as their children ran ahead of them. Kevin and Brian Stoker ran over to greet their young friends.

"Hey, Chris! Hey, Jennifer! We're gonna go play volleyball, wanna come?"

"Sure! Let's go!"

"Uh – Just wait a minute you two…" Joanne admonished. "Don't you think you should say hello to Captain Stanley and Mr. Stoker first? Go on, now. You know better than that." Even though the DeSoto children were young, Roy and Joanne made it a point to teach their children proper manners and respect for their elders. Eight year-old Chris resembled his father with his strawberry blonde hair and blue eyes. Five year-old Jennifer, on the other hand, had her mother's dark hair and eyes.

"C'mon. Let's go, then," Roy said. The four DeSotos walked over to the grill where Mike and Hank were standing.

"Hello, Captain Stanley!" Jennifer and Chris said in unison.

Hank knelt down so he could talk eye-to eye with Roy's children. "Hello, you two! Ready to have some fun today?"

"We sure are. Hi, Mr. Stoker!"

"Hey, kids," Mike smiled as the four children ran off towards the volleyball net.

"Hey, Roy! Joanne! Glad you could come!" He kissed Joanne and shook hands with the senior paramedic.

"Thank you for having us, Hank," Joanne said. Turning to Mike, she said, "Mike, I don't see Eva. Is she here?"

"Oh, she's helping in the kitchen."

"Well, if you gentlemen will excuse me, that's where I need to be." Joanne kissed Roy before turning to leave. "Keep an eye on the munchkins for me."

"You lucked out again this year, Cap. Couldn't ask for a more beautiful day. Not a cloud in the sky." Roy paused. "Can I give you a hand with anything?"

"No, Roy. Why don't you two grab something to drink and keep an eye on the kids? We'll be eating in a little while."

"Sure, Cap," Roy gave him a gentle slap on the back and joined Stoker heading for the picnic table. He leaned over one of the tubs and grabbed two longnecks. After popping the caps off the bottles, he placed one on the table in front of Mike and put one on the table for himself.

He had just taken a sip of his beer when he caught a glimpse of Johnny and his girlfriend rounding the corner of the house. Johnny's girlfriend, Cindy, was tall and willowy. Her blonde hair flew softly in the breeze as she and Gage walked in together with their arms around each other.

The DeSoto children dropped what they were doing to run over to greet their favorite "uncle". "Uncle Johnny! Uncle Johnny!" Jennifer ran towards Johnny with her arms outstretched.

Scooping Jennifer up into his arms, he gave her a playful tumble until she was lying across his shoulders squealing with delight. "How's my best girl today?" he asked.

"I'm fine, Uncle Johnny," she managed to say between fits of giggles. Johnny thought of Roy's children as his own sometimes.

"Hey, Chris, how's it goin', Sport?" He grabbed Chris by the waist and carried both children over to the table where Roy and Stoker were sitting.

"Hey, Roy! I found these two wandering around the yard. You know who they belong to?"

"I never saw them before in my entire life," Roy said as he sipped his beer.

"Daddy!"

"Daaad!"

"Hey, Junior, why don't you put them down? You're gonna wear yourself out before you know it."

"C'mon, Roy. Let me have a little fun!" As he spun around with both children hanging on for dear life, the yard was filled with laughter.

"Johnny Gage! Just WHAT are you doing to my children?"

"Uh-oh – you're in the doghouse now." Roy smiled as he took another sip of his beer.

The door to the house slammed as Joanne walked over to Johnny and gave him a bear hug and a welcoming kiss.

"Hi, Jo." Johnny kissed her on the cheek.

She laughed. "I will never understand where you get your energy, Mr. Gage. You work a full shift and plenty of overtime, but you still have the stamina to torment my children. The least you could do is take them back to the ranch when you get them all wound up like that!"

"That's a great idea…I could use some help. You know repairing fences, mucking the stalls, feeding and watering the animals…"

"Yeah, Mom – can we go to Uncle Johnny's tonight?"

"No, honey, not tonight…some other time."

"Aw, mom…"

"Why don't you two go over and play with Brian and Kevin? Let Uncle Johnny rest for a while."

He put the two children down. "Off ya go, ya little squirts!" Chris and Jennifer ran towards the volleyball net to join the Stoker children.

"Oh, Joanne – I'd like you to meet Cindy Butler. Cindy, this is Joanne DeSoto. Roy's wife."

"Nice to meet you Cindy"

"Same here."

Johnny took Cindy's hand in his and said, "C'mon, let's introduce you to the others."

Joanne watched as Johnny took Cindy by the hand and introduced her to Roy and Mike. When he was done, he introduced her to Hank. I sure hope she has the energy to keep up with him, Joanne thought, as she walked back towards the house. Lord knows, she's going to need it.

As Johnny and Cindy stood talking to Captain Stanley, Marco and his friend, Isabella arrived. Seeing Roy and Mike sitting at the picnic table, they made their way over to greet them. Johnny finished speaking with Cap, so he and Cindy found a seat at the table with the others. Captain Stanley left his post at the grill and came over to the table to greet the newest arrivals.

"Marco…" they shook hands. "Glad you could make it."

"Hello, Cap. I'd like you to meet Isabella Juarez. Isabella, this is Captain Stanley." She put her hand out. Cap took it and gave her a slight kiss on the cheek. "It's nice to meet you. Glad you could come."

"Thank you for having us," she replied. "It's a lovely place you have here."

"Marco, why don't you take Isabella to see the rose garden? I'll join you in a couple of minutes."

"Sure, Cap." They walked hand in hand towards the garden. All the children saw their "Uncle" Marco and came up to greet him with hugs and giggles.

As Hank walked back towards the grill, he could hear a loud commotion coming from the children.

"It's Uncle Chet! Hi, Uncle Chet!"

Chet and his girlfriend, Bernice, came walking up the driveway. Bernice was tall and had long, flaming red hair. She and Chet made eyes at one another at the Café Casbah Nightclub when the station was called out on a run. They'd been dating for more than 6 months now. It was the steadiest relationship Chet had ever been involved in. He admired her spunk, and she never failed to let the world know that Fireman Chet made her go weak in the knees.

"Hey, ya little rug rats!"

"Uncle Chet," Jennifer cried, "we're NOT rug rats."

"That's right – you're too old to be rug rats." He bowed and took Jennifer's hand and kissed it. "Miss DeSoto, you are looking lovely today."

"Uncle Chet! Your mustache tickles," she giggled.

The two Stoker children and Chris DeSoto watched. "Oh, gross! I guess it's a grown-up thing."

Chet turned around and looked at the three boys. "What are YOU looking at?" he growled. He stood up on his toes, beat his chest, and let out a mighty roar before chasing the three boys around the pool.

When he caught the three boys, he wrestled them to the ground. Not wanting to be left out of the fun, Jennifer joined in and jumped on the squirming pile of boys. When all the rolling around and tickling was over, Chet stood up and tried to catch his breath. He was somewhat unsteady on his feet as he joined Bernice, who stood there, taking in all the fun.

"Are you OK, Chester, Honey?" She rubbed his back and brushed the grass from his hair.

"I'm fine, Big Red, just fine. Let's go say hello to Captain Stanley."

The pair approached the grill and said their hellos to Hank. They walked back towards the table and sat down with the rest of the crew of 51.

Bernice got up from her place at the table and poured herself some lemonade. As she was walking back, Chet asked, "Hey, Bernie, grab me a beer, would ya?"

Bernice gave him an exasperated look. "And what did your last slave die from?"

Sheepishly, he left the table and proceeded to pluck a beer from the tub of ice. After placing the bottle on the table in front of him, he sat down.

Bernice brushed the hair away from his face. "You're such a big strong man. I knew you could do it!"

The entire table burst into laughter. Chet, becoming somewhat embarrassed, leaned over and gave Bernie a kiss.

"What was that for?" She asked.

"It's the only way I can keep you quiet," he laughed.

Reese looked at her watch. "Oh, great, it's 12:30," she said in exasperation. "We're late already."

Her companion, Peter Phillips, turned from the driver's seat and looked at her, "Well, that's not my fault, is it?"

"I didn't say it was," she said as she stared out her window at the passing scenery.

Peter sighed, "I can't believe you're going through with this."

"Going through with what?"

"All of this – becoming a paramedic nonsense," he replied.

"Nonsense? Is that what you think it is?"

"You know I didn't mean it that way."

"I know exactly what you meant. How many times have we been over this, Peter? My mind is made up." She sighed heavily. "I don't understand you. This is something I want to do." She watched the scenery as she looked out the passenger side window. "Sometimes, I think it's a good thing we don't see each other very often," she said. "Look, if it's OK with you, I'd rather not have this discussion right now."

"That's fine with me," he stated.

They continued on their way in silence. As they arrived at Cap's home, Peter parked the small red convertible in the street. Getting out of the car, they strolled up the driveway. As they rounded the corner of the house, they saw the DeSoto and Stoker children running through the yard. The other members of A-shift were sitting at the picnic table, listening intently to something Johnny was saying. Reese smiled to herself. Whenever Johnny tried to make a point, she noticed, his hands would be moving about freely. Reese waved to her co-workers as she approached the grill.

"Reese! You made it!"

"Hello, Captain Stanley. I'd like you to meet Peter Phillips."

"Peter, this is Captain Stanley."

"Nice to meet you, Sir."

"Glad you could make it. I was beginning to think you wouldn't come."

"Well, Sir, I overslept," She said with a little embarrassment. "I didn't even hear Peter knock on the door. He had to call me from a phone booth down the street."

"Well, the most important thing is that you're here. Why don't you make yourselves at home? Food is coming out shortly."

"If you don't mind, Sir, I'd love to meet Mrs. Stanley."

"Sure. Yeah. She's inside." He turned to look for some help. "Hey, Marco! Watch these coals for me will ya, Pal?"

"Right, Cap." Marco walked over to the grill and began to push them around a little with the grilling fork.

Hank escorted Reese to the back door. "Millie's inside with some of the other wives and my daughters." He held the door open and Reese entered.

"Ladies, I'd like you all to meet Reese Murphy, our newest paramedic trainee."

"Millie Stanley – This is Reese."

"It's nice to meet you, Dear. Hank has told me so much about you."

"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Stanley."

"Oh, dear – no – it's Millie."

Reese smiled. "OK, Millie. What a lovely place you have here!"

"All right you two – no conspiracies." Joanne put the dish of potato salad on the kitchen counter. "I'm Joanne DeSoto, Roy's wife."

"Hello, Joanne – It's nice to meet you."

"Reese, this is Mike's wife, Eva."

"Hello, Eva."

"Hello, Reese."

Reese turned to Millie and asked, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"It's all taken care of. Why don't you make yourself at home?"

While the women were exchanging pleasantries, Cap opened the refrigerator. The interior was filled with various dishes in different sizes. One platter held the burgers and dogs for the kids. The other, larger platter, was piled high with steak, chicken, and ribs.

Millie reached into the refrigerator and removed the platter of burgers. "Hank, why don't you take two trips?"

"That won't be necessary, Mrs…um, Millie. I can take this one." She took the platter of burgers and dogs and followed Captain Stanley to the grill.

After putting the platter on the table beside the grill, she walked over to the table and sat down next to her date.

"Peter, I'd like you to meet my co-workers: John Gage, Roy DeSoto, Mike Stoker, Chet Kelley, and Marco Lopez."

"It's nice to meet you all."

Chet piped up. "Reese – this is Bernie."

"Hi, Reese! Nice to meet you." Bernice reached out and shook her hand. Reese didn't expect such an enthusiastic handshake.

"Hi, Bernie."

John chimed in, "Reese, you haven't met Cindy. Cindy Butler – Reese Murphy."

"Oh, you're the new fire chick Johnny told me about."

"Fire chick? Oh, yeah. That's me." She laughed.

Chet whispered, "A class act ya got there, Gage."

"Shut up, Chet."

Joanne, Eva, and Millie approached the table, carrying more platters laden with all types of side dishes, including corn on the cob, plump tomatoes, and deep purple onions.

Captain Stanley stood guard over the barbecue like an allied commander looking over his troop alignment. As the coals flared up, and the meat sizzled on the grill, he was quick with the spatula to move the food around to avoid burning it. After a few minutes, he turned around and shouted, "Dogs and burgers are ready for the kids!" Hank dished out the burgers and dogs to the littlest guests, as Eva and Joanne helped the children with their plates. Kevin Stoker filled his plate with two burgers and chips. On his way back to the table, he stocked up on some brownies as well. Eva had to remind him that he couldn't have dessert until he had eaten his burger and had some vegetables first.

Joanne sat between Chris and Jennifer as she and Roy helped them with their meals. Chris reached for the bottle of ketchup to put on his burger. As he slapped the bottom of the glass bottle, the ketchup escaped the bottle and landed all over his shirt. Joanne immediately reached for a napkin to wipe away the mess.

Chet leaned over the table towards Johnny and chuckled. "Why does that remind me of you, Gage?"

"Shut up, Chet."

Afternoon sun began to fade into dusk as a slight chill hung in the air. Many strings of party lights illuminated the yard. The crew of Station 51 and their families had enjoyed a day of fun and camaraderie. Captain Stanley produced a deck of cards, and the guys were involved in a no-holds-barred game of poker, while some of the women sat on the deck and dangled their feet in the refreshing waters of the swimming pool. They watched as the children splashed about with their inner tubes and various blow-up pool animals.

Joanne drew a long sigh. "This is wonderful, isn't it?"

Eva remarked, "Yes, it certainly is. I wonder who's losing at the poker game." She glanced over at the table where the men were intently studying their cards.

Joanne laughed. "I hope it's not Roy, but then again, I never give him too much to play with. After all, we've got to watch our pennies, you know."

The women giggled. Reese got up and stretched a bit. She stood at the railing of the deck, just staring into the sunset.

Joanne got up and stood beside her. "Your friend, Peter, seems to be a nice guy. How did you meet him?"

"I met him almost a year ago as I was running through LAX. He had just completed his flight paperwork, and I literally ran into him in the terminal as I was trying to hail a cab."

Joanne smiled. "Well, that's one way to meet a guy. You two make a cute couple."

"Thanks."

"Maybe the two of you would like to come over for dinner? Roy and I would love to have you."

"That's a very nice invitation, Joanne. Unfortunately, our schedules are so mixed up, we hardly ever get the chance to see one another. And, when we do, we usually like to spend the time alone."

"I can understand. Before Roy and I had kids, we did a lot of that." Reese and Joanne turned around to see that things were getting a little heated at the poker table. One by one, each man threw his cards down until Cap and Chet were the last two remaining players.

"You DO realize, Chet, that I hold the key to your future latrine assignments, don't you?"

"Yes Sir, my Captain." Chet took several chips from his stack and threw them into the center of the table. "I see your 5 and raise you another 5."

Cap looked at the cards in his hand and the meager pile of chips in front of him and said "That's it. I'm out."

Chet put his cards down and started scooping the mound of chips towards him.

"Whoa – Whoa! Now, wait a minute there, Kelly. What'd ya have?" Cap asked.

"You really wanna know?"

"Yeah. I really want to know."

Chet sheepishly turned over his cards and stated, "A pair of sevens."

"WHAT?" A pair of sevens?! You twit, Kelly!"

"Sorry, Cap."

"Sorry, Cap. Is that all you can say?"

"I'm REALLY sorry, Cap?"

"I see endless latrine duty for you, my friend," Cap stated.

The rest of the guys at the table had a hearty laugh. Bernie came over and gave Chet a big hug.

"Oh, Chester, look at what you did!" She exclaimed.

"Aw, it was nothin' really," he said as he neatly stacked the chips into piles in front of him.

Peter left the table and joined Reese on the deck. "What do you say we head out? I've gotta get some sleep. I've got an early flight tomorrow."

"Sure. That's fine with me," she said. She turned and gave her goodbyes to the ladies before she and Peter walked towards the car. The two of them stopped to give their thanks to Captain Stanley.

"Thank you for having us, Captain Stanley," Reese said. "We had a great time."

Hank smiled. "Glad you could make it," he said as he shook Peter's hand.

Reese turned and said "Goodnight, everyone!" As she and Peter turned to go to the car, she heard several of her colleagues wish them a good night and a safe trip home.

When they got to the car, Peter held the door open as she got into the passenger seat. He closed her door and slid into the driver's seat. The engine in the little red convertible roared to life as he turned the key.

"You seem awfully quiet," he said.

"I'm just a little tired, that's all. We had a tough shift yesterday."

Peter put the car into gear and drove away. They'd been driving for a few minutes when Peter broke the silence between them. "I like the guys you work with. They seem like a great crew."

"They are."

An awkward feeling permeated the inside of the car.

"Reese, I…"

"Don't start, OK?"

"Don't start what?"

"I know what you're going to say. They're a great bunch, but I still think this is not the job for you. Am I right?"

Peter said nothing as he continued to drive.

"Your silence speaks volumes," she said.

"I'd be lying if I said I wanted you to have that job."

"Well, what IS IT you want?"

"Reese, I…"

"Stop the car."

"What?"

"I said stop the car."

"Don't be silly…"

"Just let me out here. I'll catch a cab."

Peter pulled the car over to the curb. "Reese, I…"

She got out of the little red convertible, slammed the door, and began to walk away.

Peter began to run after her. Grabbing her by the arm, he said, "Reese, wait a minute…"

She stopped and turned to face him. "Look, Peter. I guess it's best that we don't see one another anymore. Maybe you can find a nice stewardess or something." She walked to the corner of the street and got into a cab.

Peter stood there and watched the taillights of the cab fade away into the distance. He got back into his car and drove away.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Los Angeles County was blanketed with a cold, steady rain. After parking her Ford Falcon in the back lot, Reese entered through the apparatus bay and walked into the kitchen. The rest of the crew was already there enjoying their morning cup of coffee. She had just finished pouring herself a cup and sat down at the table when Captain Stanley walked in. He set his empty cup in the sink.

"Good morning, everyone!"

"Morning, Cap!" Isabella and I had a great time other day."

"Glad you could make it, Marco."

"Excuse, me, Reese – can I see you in my office for a couple of minutes?"

"Sure."

She put her cup down on the table and followed Captain Stanley into his office.

He pointed to the empty chair next to his desk. "Please – have a seat."

He closed the door as she sat down.

"Did I do something wrong, Captain Stanley?"

"No…No…I just wanted to talk to you for a minute. Did you have a good time the other day?'

"Yes, we did. Thank you for inviting me."

"I noticed something, and if it's none of my business, please feel free to tell me."

"What's that, Sir?"

"I sensed that there was some tension between you and your friend, Peter. Is everything OK?"

"Meaning…?"

"Oh, I don't know…are you two going through a rough time right now? Just call it the intuition of an old married man."

"Well, to tell you the truth, Sir, we had a little disagreement."

"Is it something I can help with? My door is always open, ya know."

"With his schedule and mine we really don't have much time to see one another. When we do, it's not always pleasant."

"I see."

"He seems to think that my chosen career path isn't the proper one for me."

"And…?"

"And…he said if I continue with this ridiculous notion of being a paramedic, then we have no future together."

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that."

She stood up from the chair and walked over to the window, watching the rain come down. "I can't let that happen, Captain Stanley. I've worked long and hard to get into this program. Ever since I was 12, I've wanted to be in the fire service."

"Well, I hope your reason for wanting this job is not because you have something to prove."

She turned to face him. "What do you mean, Sir?"

"What I mean is that this job is tough enough without having someone who is hell-bent on proving themselves. People like that are dangerous, not only to themselves, but to the rest of the crew."

"Captain Stanley, I can appreciate what you're saying. With all due respect, I have a pretty good working knowledge of what the job entails." She paused again, smiling slightly. "Besides, the only person I have to convince is me."

Hank thought for a second. "Tell me about your time at 39's. I think, as captain of this station, I should have a little more background. Your file didn't give many details about your previous training or your dismissal."

Reese shifted uncomfortably, putting her hands in her pants pockets. An awkward silence hung in the room.

"Reese, I promise – nothing you tell me is going to leave this office."

"It's a little difficult to discuss, Captain Stanley. It's not something I like to talk about."

"Was it behavioral? Competency? You've only been here a short while, but Roy and John think highly of you."

"I'm glad to hear that, Sir."

"What's past is past. You've been given a second chance at a new location."

She sighed deeply. Staring out the window, watching the rain, she began, "My family served in the Boston Fire Department for generations." She chuckled. "I was practically raised at the firehouse. I know all about the brotherhood of the fire service." Pausing to gather her thoughts, she said, "When I was at 39's, I saw some…things." She sighed. "I thought I was doing the right thing by reporting them to a supervisor. A couple of days later, there were some narcotics missing from the drug box. An inspection was done, and they were found…in my locker." She stopped for a second. Turning to face Hank, she said, "Captain Stanley, I didn't take them. Why would I do that?" She sighed. "I want this job more than anything. I'm not going to do anything to ruin my chances."

Hank studied her face for a reaction. "I see."

"So, what it came down to was…"

Hank finished the sentence for her. "…the word of an established crew member against the word of a trainee?"

"Yes, Sir." She hesitated. "Everything was hushed up. No criminal charges were filed. The official reason given for my failure was insubordination."

Hank thought for a second. "I can assure you that nothing like that goes on in this station. If you see anything, I want to know about it. Understand?"

She nodded. "Yes, Captain Stanley."

Satisfied with the answer he received, Captain Stanley smiled. "Well, I'm glad we had this talk, Reese." Hank opened the door, and they made their way out of the office to join the rest of the crew.

.

*****STATION 51 – ENGINE 8 – ENGINE 73 – STATION 65*****

**WAREHOUSE FIRE – 11472 CONVERSE – 11472 CONVERSE. CROSS STREET WAVERLY. TIME OUT 19:08*****

"Station 51, 10-4 KMG-365."

Captain Stanley acknowledged the call and ripped off two sheets of paper. One he handed to DeSoto, and the other he took with him.

Gage looked at the address. "Hmm, Converse – isn't that where a lot of furniture warehouses are located?"

"Yeah – it could get a little hairy."

The two vehicles raced to the scene and pulled up to a large, two-story brick structure. The squad stopped at one of the hydrants near the building. Johnny got out and ran to the back of the LaFrance. Taking several lengths of hose, he quickly connected it to the hydrant as the engine pulled away.

Roy pulled the squad to the curb and parked it there. He and Reese exited the cab and put on their turnout gear.

Four loading docks lined the front of the building, but only two were occupied by trucks. Plumes of thick black smoke rose from the structure, and flames could be seen shooting out from some of the windows.

"Chet, Marco, I want you to take a 2 ½ and cover that side of the building." Captain Stanley pointed.

"Engine 8, this is 51…Set up at the hydrant on the North side of the building. We want to get a handle on that side before it takes the rest of the block. Engine 73, come in and cover the East side. Set up at the hydrant on Stanton. We gotta keep it from spreading to the adjacent buildings. Station 65, I need you to come and support my crew."

"Gage, DeSoto, Murphy – I want you to make a quick sweep of the ground floor."

Suddenly, a man came running from the inside of the building onto the loading dock. His clothes were on fire, and he was shrieking for help. Quickly, Chet and Marco hurried over and extinguished the fire by rolling him on the ground and spraying him with water.

"Hey, Roy – John!"

Johnny and Roy dashed over to help the man who was lying on the dock.

Reese immediately began to get the equipment out of the squad. She pulled the biophone, oxygen, trauma kit, and drug box out of their compartments. Laying them down on the pavement, she opened them all. Then, she opened another compartment and grabbed two yellow blankets. She opened them and laid them on the ground before reaching into the squad for some sterile sheets.

Gage and DeSoto guided the man over to the squad and positioned him on his stomach.

While Roy and Johnny were getting ready to take the victim's vital signs, Reese was cutting away the man's burned clothes. She removed as much as she could and placed the sterile sheets over him. She opened one of the squad's compartments and pulled out several bottles of sterile saline solution to pour over the victim's burns.

Johnny got on the biophone with the hospital. "Rampart Base, this is Rescue 51, how do you read?"

Morton entered the base station. "Go ahead, 51"

"Rampart, we have a male, approximate age 45, with 2nd and 3rd degree burns about his back, his arms and legs. We have applied sterile sheets and are beginning cooling measures. Stand by for vitals."

"Standing by, 51."

Roy had just finished taking the man's blood pressure. "BP is 90/60, pulse is 120, and respirations are 16 and labored." He reached into the drug box and pulled out an IV.

Another man came running from the building. "Oh, my God! He cried. Lou! Lou, are you OK?

Reese got up and held the man away from the treatment scene. "Do you know this man?"

"Yeah, he's our dock foreman. How is he?"

"We don't know that yet. Can you get in touch with his family? We'll be taking him to Rampart Emergency once he gets stabilized," Reese answered.

The man suddenly began to panic. "Lou – Lou – did you see Dave?"

"Who's Dave?"

"Dave – he's the Warehouse Manager. He was working inside when…"

Reese turned back to Roy and Johnny. "We may have another man trapped in there." She grabbed flashlights from the top of the squad.

Roy looked at Johnny. "You gonna be OK?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

Reese turned to the man who was pacing back and forth. "Are you OK? Do you hurt anywhere?"

"It's just my arm. You gotta find Dave. He's still in there!"

"Listen. Why don't you sit down here?" She guided him to the running board of the squad. "We're going in right now to find him."

Roy and Reese put on their SCBA equipment and ran over to Captain Stanley.

"Cap – we may have another man trapped in there."

"OK – you two do a quick sweep. I don't know how much longer this building is gonna hold up."

"Right, Cap."

Captain Stanley spoke into the Handie-Talkie. "Engine 8, we've got a victim still inside. We're going in for a sweep. Cover my men."

"10-4, 51."

Roy and Reese quickly ran towards the building as they put their masks on. With flashlights in hand, they entered the building. Their flashlight beams were almost useless by the thick, heavy smoke that hung in the air. With flames dancing wildly up the two sides of the structure, they were followed by a hose team from Engine 8.

"Dave – can you hear me?"

"Fire Department…anybody in here?"

Roy yelled to Reese, "You take that aisle, and I'll take this one. We'll do a sweep on this floor, and then move to the next floor."

"OK." She gave him a thumbs up sign.

The two firefighters carefully made their way through the warehouse looking for signs of life. There were several offices lining the side walls. As each firefighter entered the room, they yelled for the man. Quickly and methodically, they searched, overturning desks and chairs and making sure that no inch of the room was left untouched. When each firefighter was done with the office, a large "X" was marked on the door. After finishing her side of the building, Reese began to walk along the back wall of the warehouse, carefully looking down the aisles. It wasn't until she got to the middle aisle that she noticed some cartons had fallen. She went to investigate further and discovered that there was a victim under the boxes.

"Hey! Hey! Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he moaned. "I think it's my leg. I can't move it."

"Just take it easy. We'll have you outta there in no time."

She ran back to the end of the aisle. "Roy! Over here! His leg is pinned under this pallet."

Roy darted down the aisle and knelt next to the trapped man. "We're gonna lift this pallet off of you. Do you think you can move?"

"Whatever it takes, man. Whatever it takes."

Roy and Reese exchanged glances and started to move some of the larger boxes. Fire was beginning to race up the back wall closest to them.

Roy used the Handie-Talkie to alert the Captain. "Engine 51, this is HT 51, we've found the victim on the first floor at the North end of the building. We're gonna need extra cover, though; we've got flames headed for the roof."

They pulled the man to his feet. He seemed a little unsteady at first.

"It's getting hot and heavy in here…Let's go!"

"Are you OK?" Reese asked the injured man.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

Two teams of two firemen rushed in with hoses to attack the blaze. Two firemen grabbed the victim and helped him out of the building quickly, as he dragged his injured leg.

"C'mon!" Roy said, "Let's get outta here!" As he turned to move, the flames had reached the top of the building. Without warning, Reese heard a loud groaning sound. An industrial sized air conditioning unit had just started to come unhinged from the ceiling.

"Roy! Look out!"

She jumped towards him and pushed him into a stack of cartons. The AC unit had ripped free and landed a few feet from the two firefighters. Other firefighters were quickly at the scene dousing the flames.

Helping him get to his feet, Reese asked, "Are you OK?" She turned to one of the firemen manning the hoses. "Hey, can you give me a hand over here?" Another fireman rushed over to help.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get outta here."

Roy put his arm around her neck and the neck of the other fireman. As they exited the warehouse, Roy limped towards the squad.

"Roy…are you OK?

"Yeah, Johnny, I'm fine. It's just my leg and my arm."

"What happened? Sit down – let me see. Looks like you've got quite a cut on your forehead, too."

"Johnny – you don't have to…"

"I said sit down."

DeSoto sat on the rear running board of the squad as Reese went to check on Dave. "How's the man with the burns?" she asked Johnny.

"He's gonna be fine. He's got an IV and some MS." Gage cut away the left leg of Roy's uniform and examined his leg. "It doesn't look too bad…it could be worse. What's wrong with your arm?"

"It hurts."

"I know it hurts, how did you hurt it?"

"It all happened so fast. I heard Reese yell my name, and the next thing you know, she shoved me into a stack of boxes."

Johnny carefully manipulated Roy's arm. "It doesn't seem to be broken. Probably just a sprain. We'll have it looked at when we get to Rampart."

Johnny walked over to where Reese was assessing Dave's injuries. "Are you OK?" he asked.

"I'm fine," Reese answered.

Johnny pointed to the man on the ground. "How's he doing?"

"It looks like a fracture. His vitals appear normal. Lungs are clear. No evidence of head injury." She leaned over to talk to Dave. "Sir, do you hurt anywhere else?"

He shook his head.

"So, it's just your leg?"

"Yeah."

As she was splinting the man's leg, she said, "We're going to transport you to Rampart to have that leg taken care of. We'll get you something for the pain."

Johnny got back on the biophone. "Rampart, this is Squad 51 again. Please be advised that we have two more victims to be transported. First additional victim is a male, approximately 40 years of age. He was trapped under a pallet of boxes. He has an apparent fracture of the patella and the tibia of his left leg. Vitals are Pulse 90, Respirations 26, BP is 126/84. Lungs are clear. Pupils are equal and reactive; there is no sign of head injury."

"Second additional victim is male, approximately 30 years of age, also a victim of a warehouse fire. He is suffering from an unknown injury to his right arm and right ankle. There is no sign of fracture. He has a laceration and contusion above his right eye. Vitals are BP 120/72, Pulse is 84, Resps are 22. Pupils are equal and reactive. No sign of smoke inhalation. We've immobilized the arm and dressed the laceration and are ready to transport."

"OK, Squad 51, splint the leg on your first victim and start IV D5W TKO and give 5mg. MS IV. Transport as soon as possible," Morton instructed. "Has the ambulance arrived yet?"

"We've got two ambulances just arriving now, Rampart."

"Keep me apprised of the vitals on the burn victim, 51."

"10-4, Rampart."

Captain Stanley walked over to the squad. "The fire looks to be under control. Is everyone OK?"

Roy stood up, "Yeah, Cap. Everyone is fine."

"You don't look fine, Roy. What happened?"

"You'll have to ask Reese. Everything happened so fast."

"Murphy?"

"We had just finished extricating the victim, Cap, when the flames reached the ceiling and the A/C unit gave way. We had to move in a hurry."

"I'm gonna need your help filling out the incident report, since Roy didn't see anything."

"Yes, Sir."

Captain Stanley started to turn away. He looked back at Reese, who was leaning against the squad, drinking from a canteen. "Oh, and Murphy…"

"Yes, Sir?"

"Nice work." He smiled and patted her on the shoulder. "Why don't you take the squad into Rampart?" He turned and walked away towards the now dying fire.

John loaded the burn victim and the warehouse foreman into the ambulance, taking the biophone and drug box with him. The doors were shut, and Reese gave the two slaps on the glass. It sped away with lights flashing and sirens blaring.

Roy walked into the second ambulance under his own power and gave her a quick smile as he got in.

She slapped the door twice and watched the second ambulance drive away before turning to pick up the discarded medical wrappings and bottles and storing them in the squad.

Johnny had escorted both victims into the ER. Dixie was there waiting for him.

"Dr. Morton is waiting for the burn patient in 3. Let's get him into 6." Dixie turned to Joe, who was looking over a chart with an intern. "Dr. Early, the leg fracture patient is here."

Dr. Early handed the chart to the intern and made his way to treatment room, as the orderlies wheeled the patient in. Gage followed, weaving his way around the nurses to hang the IV.

"Hey, Doc."

"Hey, Johnny. How's he doing?"

"His vitals have stabilized. Lungs are clear. Do you need me anymore?"

"No, we'll take it from here. Nurse, let's get a portable x-ray."

"Thanks, Doc. See ya later." Johnny exited the treatment room just as the second ambulance had pulled in. Roy slowly limped down the hall towards Johnny, who was standing near the base station.

"Hey, Dix – Who's available?"

"Dr. Brackett, why?"

"Roy needs to be looked at."

"Why don't you take him into 1? I'll get Kel."

"Sounds good." He turned to Roy and tried to help him walk into the treatment room.

"I can walk by myself, Johnny! I've been doin' it for almost 30 years!"

"Geez, what a grouch!"

Roy sat up on the table. The door swung open and Brackett entered the room.

"Johnny – Roy. Isn't this a switch?" He looked at Roy and chuckled. "I'm usually treating your partner."

Johnny stood by the examining table. "Ha. Ha. Very funny, Doc."

"What's up, Roy? It looks like you've got a nasty gash on your head, too. How'd it happen?"

"We were in a warehouse fire, and I was shoved out of the way to avoid being hit with by a falling AC unit."

"What?"

"Yeah, I didn't see it, but Reese did. She's the one that pushed me outta the way." He paused for a minute. "I hate to think what might have happened…"

"It's a good thing you had an extra set of eyes looking out for you." He reached for Roy's arm. "I want to get some x-rays of that arm and your head, just to be certain." He felt the arm from the elbow down to the wrist and to the fingers. "It doesn't feel like anything is broken, but we'll take some pictures anyway. Let's take a look at that ankle." Brackett felt Roy's leg from the shin to the middle of his foot. "It's a little swollen. I don't think it's broken, probably just a mild sprain. We'll get pictures of that, too."

The door opened and the portable x-ray machine and technician arrived in the room.

"Hey, Steve – right arm, ankle, and a skull series. I'll be back in a bit, Roy."

"Yeah, Doc, thanks."

Brackett left the two paramedics in the treatment room and walked over to the desk, where Dixie sat making out a chart.

"How's Roy doing?" Dixie asked.

"I'm just waiting for x-rays. I don't think the arm's fractured. His ankle's a little swollen. I suspect it's just a sprain. He's got a gash on his forehead, but he'll be fine." He scratched some information on a chart. When he was finished, he closed the cover and put the chart back into the rack.

"What happened?"

"Well, it appears that an overhead air conditioning unit was headed for Roy and another firefighter shoved him out of the way."

"Who? Johnny?"

"No. That new trainee they have…Reese Murphy."

"Really? Wow. How lucky can you get?"

The door to the treatment room opened, and the x-ray technician left. Brackett called out to him. "Steve, I need those as soon as you can."

"Right, Dr. Brackett."

Brackett turned back to the desk and checked his watch. He looked up just in time to see Reese enter the ER. She looked tired, and her face was smeared with soot. Walking over to the desk, she placed the HT on the counter.

"Dr. Brackett…How's Roy?"

"He's in Treatment 1 with Johnny. We're just waiting for the x-rays but it looks like he's going to be just fine, thanks to you."

Reese seemed a little embarrassed. "Oh, he told you."

Dixie looked at her with surprise. "Of course he told us. It's kinda hard to keep something like that a secret, you know."

"It's all part of the job."

Dixie smiled. "Well, Roy was very lucky you were there. I shudder to think what might have happened."

The treatment room door opened and Johnny walked out. Seeing three of his friends standing at the ER desk, he walked over with a smile on his face.

"Hey, everybody."

"Hey, Johnny. How's the patient?" Reese asked.

"Doc here says he's gonna be fine." He thought for a minute. "Any word on how the other two are doing?"

Dixie answered, "They just took the burn patient up to surgery. They're cautiously optimistic. Dr. Early is still in treatment with the fractured leg." She looked at Reese and said, "How about you and I go get a cup of coffee and do some serious girl talking while we're waiting?"

Reese smiled. "Sure. That sounds great."

As the two women walked away, Dixie looked over her shoulder and said "We'll be in the lounge if you gentlemen need us."

"What do you think, John? Is she gonna make a good paramedic?"

"From what I saw today, Doc, I think she's gonna be a great one." Johnny reached above the coffee pot and took two cups from the shelf. Pouring the dark, steaming liquid into both cups, he handed one to Brackett.

The elevator doors opened, and the X-ray technician stepped out. Handing Brackett an envelope, he said, "Here are the x-rays you ordered, Doc."

"Hey, thanks, Steve." Kel looked at Johnny and said, "C'mon. I'm sure Roy is anxious to see these too."

They both walked into the treatment room where Roy was laying on the table. As soon as Brackett snapped the x-rays into the light box, Roy got off the table and wandered over to look at them.

"I don't see any sign of fracture, Roy. It looks like your arm's been sprained, though. Your skull series looks good. The ankle looks fine. You probably just twisted it on the way down. Let's get you sutured up and get you outta here."

About 30 minutes later, the door to the treatment room opened, and Johnny and Roy exited. Johnny leaned back into the room and hollered his thanks to Brackett. As he did so, Dixie and Reese walked around the corner."

Dixie smiled, "Well, look who's ready to head for home. How'd it go?"

Roy waved his right arm and said "Oh, Doc said it was just a sprain. It'll be fine in a couple of days." He paused and smiled. "Well, we'd better get back to the barn. Let's go." Reese handed him the keys to the squad. He immediately threw them to Johnny, who caught them in mid-air. "Let's get outta here, Junior."

The three paramedics walked down the hallway and out towards the squad. Johnny slid into the driver's seat. Roy grabbed Reese by the arm. She turned around and faced him.

"Reese… I – I just want to say thanks for what you did. If you hadn't…I…"

"That's OK, Roy. All in a day's work." She smiled as she opened the door and let herself in. Roy got in and shut the door as Johnny started the squad and pulled out of the parking lot.

Later that evening, all the lights in the station had been turned out. The rest of the crew was fast asleep,

while Reese tossed and turned in her bunk in the far corner of the dorm. She flipped back the covers, put on her uniform shirt and pants and walked the length of the dorm through the vehicle bay towards the kitchen. She stopped at her locker and took out a small black book. Shuffling into the kitchen and turning on the light, she took a glass from the cupboard above the sink. Walking towards the refrigerator, she opened the door and poured herself a glass of juice. Absentmindedly, she turned on the TV set in the corner of the room. The Late, Late Show was playing an old Jimmy Cagney movie. He was yelling something about his mother.

She sat down on the leather couch and opened her book. Taking a pen from her pocket, she began to write. She looked at the clock, only to discover that it was 12:38. She drank from her glass and set it back on the table. Rubbing her eyes, she looked around. Henry was quietly snoring on the other end of the sofa.

She went back to her writing when she heard footsteps coming through the apparatus bay. The kitchen door swung open, and Roy entered.

"Hey."

"Hey, Roy. How's your arm?"

"Oh, it's fine." He took a glass from the cabinet and poured himself a glass of milk. "What are YOU doing up?"

"Ah – I couldn't sleep."

"Is everything alright?"

"Fine. I'm just not sleepy right now."

"Doing some studying?"

"No. I'm just writing. I do it to decompress. Some people drink, some people smoke or do drugs. I write. It's a habit I got into when I was in high school."

"What do you write about?"

"Oh, anything. Lately, it's been about my training. You know – some of the runs we've had. The good ones…"

"And the bad?"

"Yeah, and the bad," she chuckled. "It helps me clear my mind and keeps things in perspective."

"I know, sometimes, it's tough to wipe some of the images of the day out of your mind. I try to leave them all here, so it doesn't interfere with my family time."

"But – it does, doesn't it?"

"We wouldn't be human if it didn't." He paused to gather his thoughts. "The runs that bother me the most are the ones with kids. When I get home, I just want to hug my kids and kiss them and tell them how much I love them." He smiled.

"Can I ask you something, Roy?"

"Go ahead."

"What are my chances for certification? I mean…"

"From what I've seen over the last couple of weeks? Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"I think you're doing really well. You're going to make a great paramedic."

"Thanks." She took a drink from her glass.

"You're welcome." He finished his glass of milk. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go back to sleep. How about you?"

"I've got a little more to do here."

"OK. We'll see you in the morning." He rinsed out his glass and put it in the dish drainer. With one hand on the door, he stopped and pointed towards the TV. "Wow. White Heat…a classic." He smiled as he left the kitchen.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Her slow and heavy footsteps plodded up the stairs. It had been a long, grueling night at Station 51. Reese, arms loaded with grocery bags, fumbled for the key to her apartment. Between trying to unlock the door and balancing three bags of groceries, the set of keys fell from her hands and hit the floor with a noisy "thunk".

Dammit. Just great, she thought. Placing the grocery bags on the floor, she retrieved her keys. After sorting through them, she found the one that fit the lock and opened the door. Picking up her grocery bags, she stumbled in. With every ounce of strength she had left, she leaned against the door to close it and paused for a minute to catch her breath. Home, sweet home. Reese's place wasn't the grandest one in LA, but, she didn't need anything fancy. She chose this particular apartment on East Woodward Avenue several months ago because the neighborhood was so peaceful, and she immediately took a liking to the landlady. Giovanna DeLuca was a sweet Italian widow lady who thought of Reese as one of her children. The DeLucas had raised four sons, but Giovanna had always wanted a girl. The more she got to know Reese, the more she thought of her as the daughter she never had. Whenever there were repairs that had to be made in the upstairs apartment, Mrs. DeLuca would always send one of her boys to fix it hoping to create a romantic spark. Or, she would invite Reese down to her apartment whenever one of her sons was visiting because she "made too much food for the two of them to eat", and she didn't want to see it go to waste.

Taking a deep breath and gathering herself together, Reese placed the brown paper sacks on the counter. Immediately, Smokey and Roscoe, jumped onto the counter to greet her as she started to put her groceries away. Curiosity got the better of the cats as they began to investigate the scene, rustling noisily through the bags.

"C'mon, guys. Not now, OK?" She scooped them up into her arms and kissed them on the tops of their heads. Putting them on the floor, she reached into the cabinet for the cat food. Once they heard the box rattle, the cats began to meow and wind their way round her ankles. "I know you guys are hungry, but give me a break. I just got home, and it's already been a long day." After dumping the dry cat food into the dish and filling their bowl with fresh water, she returned to the counter to continue putting her groceries away.

She was almost done when there was a knock at the door. Opening the door slightly, she saw Mrs. DeLuca standing there. She slid the brass safety chain from the slot and let her landlady into the kitchen.

"Mrs. DeLuca. Hello." They exchanged a hug.

"Hello, Reese. I wanted to give you mail. You forgot to pick it up."

"Thank you, Mrs. DeLuca."

"You look so tired, Bella. Did you have a hard day at work?"

"Yes. It was very busy."

"I saw that big fire on TV this morning, were you there?" Mrs. DeLuca let out a sigh. "You know, I worry about you at that job. It's so dangerous. Why don't you take a nice, safe job, like being a secretary?"

Reese smiled, "Because I don't know how to type, Mrs. DeLuca." . If there was one job she didn't want, it involved sitting behind a desk for eight hours a day. She had always been active throughout her childhood and into her teenage years. There was always something to do in and around Boston, no matter what the season. Skiing and ice skating kept her busy in the winter, while the rest of the year was filled with hiking, biking, and camping. There was never a time when Reese was bored.

Giovanna reached out to hug her. "Reesie, why don't you come down to dinner tonight? My son, Armando, is coming over. I've made a lot of food, and I don't want to throw it out."

"Mrs. DeLuca., I would love to, but I think I'm just going to stay here and watch some TV."

"OK, Dear. If you change your mind..."

"Thank you."

"Good bye, Bella."

"So long, Mrs. DeLuca."

Reese closed the door and slipped the safety chain back into place. She pulled her uniform shirt out of her pants and let it hang. Now, she felt more comfortable. She finished putting away the groceries and threw the empty bags into the trash. Taking off her shoes, she placed them on the mat by the door.

Looking at her two "roommates", she said, "Well, gentlemen, I think I'm going to sit down for a few minutes before taking a shower. Then, we can get nice and cozy and watch some TV, OK?"

The two cats looked up from their bowls for a second, licked their lips, and went back to eating.

She noticed that the indicator light on her answering machine was blinking. As soon as she pressed the button, a voice filled the room.

*** BEEP! Hi – please leave a message. I'll call you back as soon as I can. BEEP! ***

**Hello, this is Heidi from the Arthur McMurray Studio of Dance. You're **

**this week's lucky winner of a free dance lesson at any one of our local**

**studios. Amaze your friends with new moves on the dance floor…**

Reese laughed as she hit the delete button, saying "Thanks, but no thanks, Heidi."

The voice on the second message filled the room as she opened up one of the windows in the kitchen.

**Earl? It's Clyde. Remember to pick me up for work tomorrow, OK?**

Hitting the delete button again, she erased that message as well.

**Hello, Miss Murphy. This is Amalgamated Credit Company.**

**Your last installment is seven days overdue. If you have made your payment,**

**please disregard this message. If not, please let this be a gentle**

**reminder that a payment is due within the next 14 days or we will**

**have to take drastic measures.**

"Yeah, yeah," she muttered. "The check is in the mail." Hitting the red button on the machine, she deleted that message, too.

***** BEEP – End of Messages *****

Reese grabbed the newspaper from the pile of mail and sat down on the couch. It felt good to relax after the day they'd had. The factory fire had taken hours to get under control, and transporting victims to the hospital and follow-up had taken a few more. It was a good kind of tired, she thought, knowing that you put in a hard day's work.

It didn't take long before her eyes began to grow heavy. A few minutes later, she slumped over into a sound sleep. Smokey and Roscoe cuddled in between the pillows at the other end of the sofa to keep her company.

A few hours later, she was rousted from her nap by knocking at her door. Waking up with a start, she looked around and slowly got off the couch. Arching her back, she stretched deeply as the bones in her neck and spine let out a soft crack.

She glanced at the clock on the kitchen counter. Oh, my God, she thought…it's 2:00 already. Who could that be?

She got to the door and opened it slightly.

"Reese?"

"Yes?"

"Hi, Reese! It's Joanne DeSoto. May I come in?"

Reese looked out the door and slowly unhooked the safety chain. Smiling, she said, "Joanne! Hi! What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you on your day off, but I was on my way to pick the children up from school. I wanted to stop by and talk to you."

"Uh, sure. I'm sorry. It was a rough shift, and I fell asleep on the couch."

"Did I wake you? I apologize. I can come back…" She began to turn away.

"No, no. Joanne. That's OK. Come in and sit down. Can I get you something to drink?"

"No. I'm fine thank you," she said as she sat down at the kitchen table. "I'm really sorry to bother you."

Reese smiled. "Don't be silly! It's no bother at all."

Reese opened the cupboard door and selected a glass. She placed it on the counter, reached into the refrigerator and poured herself some juice. Upon hearing the refrigerator door opening, Roscoe and Smokey darted out from the living room. "No, guys, go back to sleep. I have nothing for you." Feeling dejected, the two felines turned and went back to the couch.

Placing her glass on the table in front of her, Reese sat down opposite Joanne. "What can I do for you?"

Joanne shifted uncomfortably in her chair and cleared her throat. "I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? For what?"

"Roy…uh…well, he told me what happened at the warehouse fire last night…how you pushed him out of the way to keep him from getting hurt."

"It's all part of the job. He would have done the same for me, for Johnny, for anyone."

"It scares me to think what could have happened." Joanne paused and let out a sigh. Her eyes began to tear up. "I know Roy loves his job, but sometimes…"

"You worry?" Reese drank from her glass and set it on the table in front of her.

"If I were to lose him, I don't know what I'd do. Every time he walks out that door, I realize that may be the last time I see him." She paused again to clear her throat. "I never forget to tell him how much I love him." She laughed nervously and began to twist the diamond engagement ring and wedding band around her finger. "That's the curse of a fireman's wife, I guess. You…you must think I'm crazy…"

"No. No, I don't. Do you want to know what I _**really**_ think? I think you and Roy are two of the luckiest people I've ever met. You have each other, and you have two beautiful children. A lot of people would give their right arms for something like that, and you're looking at one of them. Someday, I hope to be as fortunate as the two of you are."

Joanne wiped a stray tear from her eye. "I just wanted to say thank you. If you ever need anything…please…" Joanne reached over to hug her. She stopped to think for a minute. "One of these days, I'd like to have you over for dinner. We have Johnny over all the time. It's just as easy to set another place at the table."

"That would be nice."

Reese walked Joanne to the door. Joanne paused for a minute and turned to the young woman. "Reese, please don't tell Roy I stopped by."

"I won't. I promise." Reese smiled as she held the door open.

"Bye, Reese." Joanne turned and walked down the steps.

Reese closed the door and leaned against it. She looked at the clock. It was 2:25 in the afternoon.

_**Journal Entry:**_

_**Last shift was a busy one. **_

_**The day started out like any other day until Captain Stanley called me into his office. He said he noticed some tension between Peter and me during his picnic. He called it "an old married man's intuition". I explained that Peter &amp; I were having a disagreement about my career goals. **_

_**Then, he asked me about my time at 39's. I never expected that. So, I explained how difficult it was for me to talk about. Since he assured me that whatever we discussed was going to be held in confidence, so I threw caution to the wind and told him what happened. I didn't give him too many details, but I told him I observed a violation of departmental policy. I wondered aloud whether I did the right thing. Captain Stanley assured me that I followed proper procedure, and he explained that whatever happened at 39's was in the past. He also told me if I see anything out of the ordinary, I'm to report it to him immediately. Strangely enough, it felt good to discuss it with him...like a weight that's been lifted off my shoulders. Maybe I needed to let it out and finally put that nightmare behind me.**_

_**Later, we got toned out to a warehouse fire on Converse Street last night. When we arrived, the place was pretty well involved. Roy and I had to do a sweep for a missing employee. The smoke in that place was thick and heavy. Fortunately, it didn't take long to find him. We were able to get him out from under a pallet of boxes. He made it out with a fractured leg. As we passed him off to another crew, I heard this loud creaking noise from overhead. The fire had climbed the walls and headed for the roof. An air conditioning unit gave way. Instinct must have kicked in because I tackled Roy to the ground. It all happened so fast. He ended up with a slightly sprained arm, twisted ankle, and a head laceration.**_

_**This afternoon, Joanne DeSoto came by to thank me for what I'd done. When I sit and think about it, the feeling is hard to put into words. I guess I know what it finally means to be part of a team.**_

_**Even though I've only been at Station 51 a short time, I'm beginning to learn an awful lot just by watching the rest of the crew. Each one of them brings a wealth of experience that I'm trying to soak up.**_

_**Captain Hank Stanley is an outstanding leader. Tough but fair, he commands the respect of his crew by his knowledge and steady hand. I get the feeling that every one of the guys under his watch would willingly enter the fires of Hell for him. **_

_**Mike Stoker is the strong, silent engineer. Although he's a man of a few words, he says what he means and means what he says. He's Captain Stanley's right-hand man. When it comes to the apparatus, I've never seen anyone take better care of an engine. He'll make a great Captain someday, and the station he's assigned to will be incredibly fortunate.**_

_**Marco Lopez is a man with a zest for life and an expert when it comes to Mexican cooking. He's a dedicated firefighter who will stop at nothing to get the job done. He told me that I reminded him of one of his sisters. I can't remember which one, but coming from Marco, I take that as a compliment.**_

_**Chet (Chester B.) Kelly is a great fireman with a devilish sense of humor. It never ceases to amaze me how he can keep the crew "up" when they need to be. (Most of the time he does it by antagonizing Johnny!) I'm learning that there's never a dull moment when he's around. I think every firehouse needs a Chet Kelly.**_

_**Roy DeSoto is the Senior Paramedic. Because he was one of the first six graduates of the paramedic program, I consider him to be a pioneer in the field. He's unflappable in any situation, and he has nothing but empathy for the patient. Some paramedics can be cold and clinical, but Roy sees patients as people first.**_

_**Lastly, there's John Gage. He's usually the first one into a rescue situation, and he's always willing to do anything for the patient. Because he does whatever it takes for the safety and security of the victim, the joke at the station is that there's a special bed on reserve for him at Rampart.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_Author's note – I must apologize for being so lax in getting this chapter posted. Sometimes, life gets in the way, and things get put aside. I had this chapter written a while ago, but I couldn't find time to edit it. During this time, an actor from another Jack Webb favorite of mine passed away. So, I reworked part of this story to include Officer Pete Malloy and Officer Jim Reed as sort of a tribute to Martin Milner. It was not my initial intention, but when I saw the opportunity, I took it._

_Thanks for your patience and for sticking with the story. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

Chapter 8

While Chet was brewing the station's first pot of coffee, Mike Stoker removed the California state flag and the American flag from their cases in Captain Stanley's office. Carrying both of them under his arm, he approached the pole in front of the building. Carefully, he attached the Stars and Stripes first then the state flag. He raised both until they reached the top of the staff. A slight breeze unfurled the banners as they made a soft snapping sound. Turning from the pole, Stoker walked back into the station through the half-empty apparatus bay.

Meanwhile, Squad 51 was racing through the streets of Carson to their first call of the day - a possible heart attack. A-Shift had barely finished getting dressed when the call came in.

Johnny looked at the slip again. "Mariposa…isn't that on the other side of Grand?

"Yeah," Roy responded.

Johnny pointed. "Take a left here and cut through Deeley. That should save a minute."

"Right."

As soon as the squad took the left turn, the dispatcher's voice came over the radio. "Squad 51, Squad 45 advises that they are in the area and will respond. Cancel your response."

Johnny picked up the mic. "LA, Squad 51. 10-4." He hung his helmet on the back of the squad. Roy took his off and put it on the seat. Reese held hers in her lap.

Roy killed the siren and slowed down to a reasonable speed. "While we're out, why don't we take a run to Rampart for some supplies?"

Johnny agreed. "That sounds like a great idea. I think we're getting low on IV's." He yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Maybe we can get to finish a cuppa coffee, too."

As the squad rolled through the tree-lined residential neighborhood, Roy approached a stop sign and checked for traffic. As he looked to his left, he could see a man and a woman struggling in the front yard of a small house. The man pushed the woman down and began to scream at her. He was waving his arms around, screaming, and pointing at the woman, who was laying on the ground in a fetal position.

Calling his partner's attention to the scene up the street, he said, "Johnny…"

Picking up the microphone, and trying to assess their location, Gage advised the dispatcher. "LA, this is Squad 51. We have a still alarm…1748 Mercer cross street Belleview. Respond police and ambulance to this location."

"10-4, Squad 51. Time out 07:12."

Roy guided the squad over to the curb, and the three paramedics got out. The woman was on the ground, crying hysterically.

"Sir, is everything OK? Do you need any help here?" Roy asked.

The angry man pointed at Roy. "You stay outta this. It's between me and my wife."

Reese knelt down next to the woman. Bruises covered parts of her face, her hair was disheveled, and her blouse was ripped. A crimson stream of blood ran down the side of the woman's face. "Are you all right?" she asked.

The woman wiped the tears out of her eyes. "Get out of here, David. You don't belong here anymore."

The man began to get even angrier. "This is MY house, too. You can't do this to me."

Johnny began to get angry. "Mister, I think you better calm down."

"Calm down? She just threw me outta the house…and I'm supposed to calm down?"

Reese helped the woman up, and they walked over to the squad. Instructing the woman to take a seat on the running board of the squad, Reese said, "Let me take a look at you." She gently turned the woman's head to study her injuries. Taking the penlight out of her pocket, she tested the woman's pupillary responses. "How long ago did this happen?'

"About 20 minutes. He came home drunk again. Got mad when breakfast wasn't ready," She sniffed.

Reese began to look at the woman's arm. Gently extending the arm, and moving it slowly, she asked, "Does your arm hurt?"

"Yeah."

"Anything else?"

"Just my head."

"You're bleeding. Let's take a look." As Reese was getting gear out of the squad, a police cruiser pulled up, and two officers got out. One was tall and dark-haired. The other was a couple of inches shorter with strawberry blonde hair. Both officers put on their hats and secured their nightsticks in their belts.

The blonde officer spoke first. "I'm Officer Malloy; this is Officer Reed. What have you got?"

Roy spoke first. "We don't know. We just happened to come by and…"

The taller officer retrieved the note pad from his pocket. Looking at the man, he said, "Oh, yeah. We've been here before. About two weeks ago, wasn't it, Mr. Richards?"

The man glared at Reed.

"What is it this time, Mr. Richards?' Malloy asked.

Johnny left Roy with the officers. He walked over to where Reese was treating the woman. "What have you got?"

"She's got multiple contusions and lacerations about the head. Possible broken arm."

Johnny opened the link to Rampart. "Rampart Base, this is Rescue 51."

Dixie was filling her coffee cup as the call came in. "Go ahead, 51, this is Rampart."

"Rampart, we have a female, approximately 35. She's suffered multiple contusions and lacerations about the head. Also, may have a fractured arm. Stand by for vitals."

"Standing by, 51." She turned to see Dr. Early getting off the elevator.

"Joe…51 has a woman with injuries, can you take it?"

"Sure."

"She's got lacerations and contusions about the head. Possible fractured arm. They're working on the vitals now."

Johnny's voice came over the intercom. "Rampart, Vital signs are BP 160/110, Pulse 94, Respirations are 18."

"51, is the patient conscious?"

"10-4, Rampart. Patient is conscious."

"Apply a splint to the fracture. Administer 5 mg. MS IM and transport."

"10-4, Rampart." He hung up the receiver and dug into the black box for the prescribed drug. Handing Reese the syringe, he said, "The ambulance should be here soon. Is she ready for transport?"

After Reese injected the syringe into the woman's arm, she applied the splint. "Yeah, we're OK."

Reese stood up. Johnny walked her over to the side of the squad. "Listen, why don't you ride in with us? I have a feeling she might need somebody to talk to."

Reese nodded. "Sure."

Officer Malloy approached the squad. "How badly is she hurt?"

Johnny answered, "She's got contusions and lacerations about the head and a possible broken arm. We're going to be transporting her to Rampart Emergency."

Turning to his partner, Malloy ordered, "OK, Reed, cuff him." The dark-haired officer took the handcuffs from his belt and secured them on the angry man. Taking a small card out of his pocket, he began to read the man his rights. He, then, led him away to the waiting police car. As he was getting put into the back seat, he screamed "I'm not finished with this yet…"

The officer closed the door, got into the back seat with the man. As he did, the ambulance arrived.

Malloy looked at the two paramedics and Mrs. Richards. "I may be in touch if I need more information for my report."

Reese approached the woman and helped her up.

The frightened young woman asked, "You're not taking me to the hospital, are you? I don't want to go in alone. Would you go with me?"

Reese nodded. "Sure. Let's get you on this gurney, OK?" The woman lay down. The attendants strapped her in and covered her with a blanket.

Reese went into the ambulance first, as Johnny gathered the drug box and the biophone.

The frightened woman sat upright on the examining room table. Reese approached her and said, "The doctor will be here in just a minute. Are you going to be OK?"

"I'm kinda scared. Would you wait with me?"

Reese turned and looked at Johnny. He had just opened the door to the room and was about to leave. Hearing the patient's request, he gave a silent nod to his trainee. "I'll meet you outside."

The woman wiped the tears from her eyes. "What's your name?"

"Reese. Reese Murphy."

"I'm Jody… Jody Richards. Thank you for what you did for me."

"You're welcome." Reese paused for a minute. "Are you going to be OK when you get out of here?"

"I don't know…this isn't the first time he's put me in the hospital." She let out a heavy sigh. "I think it's time I saw my lawyer. I'm not going to let him do this to me again."

As she said this, Dr. Early and Dixie came into the room. Dixie gently held the woman by the shoulders. "C'mon. Why don't you lie down, so the doctor can take a look?"

"Do you need me anymore, Dr. Early?"

"No, Reese. We're fine."

She came over to grasp Jody's hand. "Look, if I get the chance, I'll check up on you later."

"Promise?"

"Yeah, I promise." Reese smiled as she let go of the woman's hand and left the room.

Jody looked at Dixie and said, "She's really nice."

Dixie smiled. "Yes, she is, isn't she?"

"Does she work here?"

"She's in training to be a paramedic. Now, just relax, and let Dr. Early take a look at you."

Johnny and Roy were waiting by the base station; each held a cup of coffee in his hand.

"You know, the officer told me that they'd responded to a call there about two weeks ago," Roy said.

Johnny shook his head. "I'll never understand how anyone can do that."

Reese walked out of the treatment room and over to the counter. Taking a coffee cup off the shelf and filling it from the pot in the corner, she stood quietly for a minute and turned around to face her partners. She let out a sigh.

Roy studied her face for a second. "Hey, Reese, are you OK?"

She took a sip of coffee and stared at the cup for a few seconds. "Yeah." She paused to gather her thoughts. "What kind of a man would do…?"

Roy interrupted her. "No kind of man…"

The three stood in silence for a few seconds. Finally, Roy spoke up. "While we're here, we might as well get some supplies," he suggested.

The door to treatment room 2 opened and Dixie exited. She made her way over to her work area. She picked up the receiver and dialed. "X-Ray? This is Miss McCall in Emergency. We need a portable X-Ray in Treatment Room 2. Yeah. Thanks." She hung up the phone and filled out some information on the chart in front of her.

"How is she, Dixie?" Reese asked.

"Dr. Early says she's going to be fine. He's going to keep her overnight for observation."

The door to Exam Room 6 opened, and a firefighter exited. He turned back into the room and said "Thanks a lot, Doc!" As he turned the corner, he saw the three paramedics standing at the base station.

Stopping in the middle of the hallway, he said, "Johnny Gage?"

A wide grin spread across Johnny's face. "Dave? Dave Burnett? I haven't seen you in ages! How's it going?"

"Great. Just fine."

Pointing to Burnett's arm, Johnny asked, "What happened? You alright?"

The fireman lifted his bandaged hand. "Oh, yeah. I just sliced my hand getting a victim out of a vehicle a little while ago. Couple of stitches, and I'm ready to go!" He paused and looked at the three firefighters in front of him.

"Dave Burnett…this is my partner, Roy DeSoto, and our trainee, Reese Murphy." Turning to Reese and Roy, Johnny explained, "Dave and I worked at 65's for about six months when we were just boots." He looked at Dave and said, "I thought you put in for a transfer…"

"I did. I transferred to Riverside." He chuckled, "Things were great for a while. Then, the wife and I split, so I came back here."

"Oh, well. I'm sorry to hear that. We'll have to get together for a beer one of these days."

"Sure, Johnny. That'd be great." Dave looked around for a second. "Can I, uh, talk to you for a minute?"

Johnny smiled. "Sure, what about?"

"In private?"

"Oh, OK."

Roy handed Reese a clipboard. "Reese, let's see about getting those supplies."

Reese nodded. "Sure."

As Johnny's two partners checked the drug box, Dave put his hand on Johnny's shoulder and led him towards the patient waiting area. "uh, Johnny…that new trainee you've got… did you say her name was Murphy?"

"Yeah. What about her?"

"How's she doing?"

"She's doing fine. Why do you ask?"

"I don't quite know how to say this, but…I have this friend, who worked in San Bernardino. Scuttlebutt has it that this chick is trouble."

An incredulous look came over Johnny's face. "What?"

"I don't know all the details, but…"

"What…?"

"Just watch your back, Johnny. That's all I can say." As Dave left the hospital, Johnny stood in the middle of the hallway with a confused look on his face.

As Roy approached, holding the drug box, Reese paused to get a drink from the water fountain. Roy noticed the troubled look on his partner's face. "What's the matter, Johnny?"

Johnny shook his head. "I don't know. I honestly don't know."

Captain Stanley stared at the dark-haired paramedic who stood before him in his office. "John, you KNOW I can't divulge what's in an employee's file. That's privileged information."

"I realize that, Cap. But…"

"But, WHAT? A friend of yours stops you in the hallway at Rampart, puts a bug in your ear, and you want ME to violate departmental policy?"

"That's not what I'm asking at all." Gage began to get frustrated. "Look, if there was something seriously wrong, shouldn't we know about it? I mean…" He paused to take a breath. "OK. Have YOU talked to her?"

"Yes, I have," Hank replied.

"Well, what did she say?"

"GAGE! Whatever goes on in this office, behind closed doors, is confidential." Captain Stanley paused for a minute. "Has she done anything or given you any reason not to trust her?"

Roy spoke up, "No. She hasn't."

Hank looked at both men. "Then, what's the problem? You know, John, there's an old saying - Believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see."

Johnny turned to Roy. "OK, so now what?"

"I don't know, Johnny, he's YOUR friend…" Roy shrugged.

Captain Stanley let out a sigh. "Have you talked to her?"

Feeling disgusted, Gage replied, "No."

"You might want to try it." Hank stood up from his chair and opened the office door.

"Hey, Cap…" Johnny sighed.

"Yeah?"

"Can we use your office?"

Johnny stood looking out the window of Cap's office when Reese came in. Roy was sitting at the desk on the opposite side of the room.

"John…Roy…Cap said you wanted to see me?"

Johnny spoke up first. "Reese, why don't you close the door and have a seat? We…uh… just wanted to talk to you for a few minutes."

She closed the office door and sat down in the chair next to Captain Stanley's desk.

Johnny cleared his throat. Nervously, he said, "I… really don't know where to start."

She gazed at both paramedics looking for a clue. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No…No…I…uh…" Johnny stammered.

"What Johnny's trying to say is that, sometimes, especially when you work with a lot of different people, there can be some…" Roy paused as he searched for the right word. "Misunderstandings."

"Misunderstandings?"

Roy continued. "…and sometimes, they can take on a life of their own."

Reese looked at both men quizzically. "I'm not quite following you."

Johnny cleared his throat again. "There's been some…scuttlebutt."

She took a deep breath. "Oh, I see. What kind of scuttlebutt?"

"Nothing specific," Johnny answered.

"But, it was about me?"

Johnny nodded. "Yeah."

"Well, what exactly did this person say?"

Johnny sighed. "They didn't go into detail…"

"I get it." Weighing her words carefully, she said, "You want to know if I'm hiding any deep, dark secrets?"

Roy jumped in, "Working together, especially in this profession, requires a certain amount of trust…"

"You want me to fill in the blanks for you…is that it?" Reese replied.

Johnny ran his fingers through his hair and became frustrated. "Reese…you've got to level with us. How can we defend you if we don't know?"

A chill went down Reese's spine. Staring at the two paramedics, she took a deep breath and swallowed nervously. An awkward silence filled the room momentarily. Gathering every ounce of courage she could muster, she sighed. "OK…It happened when I was first assigned to 39's in San Berdoo for training. I was probably there eight weeks. We were assigned to do routine fire inspections that day. We were in this small coffee shop, you know. A little hole-in-the-wall type place."

Johnny and Roy watched as she calmly continued.

"One of my superiors went into the owner's office, and…"

The two paramedics studied her face for a second. "…And…?" Johnny asked.

"…I saw money change hands."

Johnny rolled his eyes. "Oh, man…"

"So, how did you handle it?" Roy asked.

"I followed department procedure and filed a report." She let out a nervous laugh. "I thought I was doing the right thing."

Roy studied her face for a second. "You DID do the right thing."

"A few days later, when the drug box was being inventoried, there were some drugs missing…"

Johnny let out a sigh.

"They were found in my locker during an inspection."

The two paramedics looked at each other, and then studied Reese's face for a reaction.

"What happened to your report?" Roy asked.

"I don't know."

Johnny paced for a second. "So, it was your word against theirs?"

Reese shook her head. "Yeah…a boot against the word of a veteran firefighter. I was given a choice. Either be dismissed for insubordination or…"

"…or what?" Johnny asked.

"…or, if I pressed the issue, they told me they'd make sure I never worked in the fire service. The official reason given in my file was insubordination. No charges were brought…" She paused. "I had NOTHING to do with it…do you think that I'd jeopardize my entire career and everything I've worked so hard for?"

"No one would…?" Johnny began.

"No. There was no one willing to stand up for me."

Reese waited for a reaction from the two paramedics, but neither of the two men spoke. "Well, I can see you don't believe me, either…"

Roy and Johnny watched as she reached down and removed the badge from her shirt. Dropping it on Cap's desk, she left the office.

She walked through the apparatus bay and into the locker room. Flinging open her locker door in anger, she removed the duffel bag and placed it on the bench. Working quickly, she removed her extra uniform shirts from their hangers and stuffed them into her bag. Reaching the top shelf, she removed a travel kit and a couple of textbooks and put them into the bag as well. Putting the bag over her shoulder, she slammed the locker door and walked through the bay. She had just reached for the handle of the back door when she heard Johnny call her name.

"Reese…Reese!"

She stopped in her tracks. Johnny grabbed her by the arm.

Turning to face him, she yanked her arm away. "Let go of me, Johnny."

Gage released her from his grip and raised both his hands. "Now, just wait a minute! Hold on! Where do you think you're going?"

Anger flashed in her eyes. "Just leave me alone. You got what you wanted."

Johnny began to get angry. "You're going to walk out…just like that?"

"It's hard to stay where you're not trusted."

Roy walked up behind Johnny. "You've only been here a short time," he said. "You don't strike me as a quitter."

She continued to stare at the two men.

Johnny said, "Reese, if you give up now, they've won." He paused. "We just… we just wanted to hear it from you. That's all."

Reese turned back towards the door with her hand on the door handle.

Johnny tried one more time. "Reese!"

She stopped. Johnny and Roy walked around to face her, standing between her and the exit door.

A sly smile crossed Roy's face. "Don't make us write you up for being out of uniform."

Johnny took her hand and placed the badge in her palm. "You're going to need this."

She stared at the badge, and then stared at Roy and Johnny. Letting out a heavy sigh, Reese dropped the duffel bag on the floor and affixed the badge to her shirt.

Johnny let out a huge smile. "Now that we've settled that, how about a cuppa…"

Before they could get to the kitchen, the tones sounded. Johnny grabbed Reese's duffel bag and stowed it in the closet.

*****STATION 51, POSSIBLE SUICIDE…3125 FREEMONT. 3125 FREEMONT. CROSS STREET MENDOSA. POLICE REQUEST YOU APPROACH NON CODE-R. TIME OUT 11:48*****

The rest of the crew quickly exited the kitchen as Captain Stanley took the notes at the base station. The three paramedics climbed into the squad. Captain Stanley handed the sheet to Roy and ran to his seat in the engine.

When Station 51 arrived on the scene, Hank got out of the cab and approached Officer Vince Howard. "What have we got, Vince?"

"This girl here says that her friend is going to jump. She's up there." Vince pointed to a young woman sitting on the railing of the balcony about a hundred feet above them.

A young woman ran to the group of firemen. "It's my friend, Emily! She's been acting strange lately!"

"What happened?" Roy asked.

"She asked me to drop her off at her mother's apartment to pick up a few things. I asked if she wanted me to help, but she told me to stay in the car. I waited for about half an hour, you know? I got out of the car for a cigarette, and I saw her sitting on the railing up there."

Captain Stanley looked up. "Has she ever tried anything like this before?"

"Once. About six months ago."

The three paramedics and the young woman walked quickly into the building and got into the elevator. Arriving at the correct floor, the doors opened, and they walked down the hall quietly.

The young woman opened the door slowly. "Emily? Emily? Are you OK?"

"Get out of here, Monica. I thought I told you to stay in the car."

Monica pleaded with her troubled friend, "Emily, please don't." As she was saying this, Roy, John, and Reese slowly entered the apartment.

Emily stared at the strangers standing there with her friend. "Who are all these people?

"We're paramedics," Roy responded. "We're here to help."

"Well, I don't need your help. Go away!"

Roy paused for a minute. "We can't do that…not with you out there. Why don't you come back inside, and we can talk?"

"I'm through talking."

Monica began to panic. Turning to the paramedics, she begged, "You guys have gotta do something."

Reese turned to the senior paramedic. "Roy, let me try. Maybe she'll talk to a woman."

"Go ahead." Turning to Gage, he said, "Johnny, we'd better let Cap know what's going on up here."

Reese walked slowly towards the troubled woman.

"You stay right there. Don't come any closer!"

"Look, I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to help."

"You can't help me."

"My name's Reese. Your name is Emily, right? I'd like to try to help you. Maybe we could talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Why do you want to do this?"

"It's all her fault."

"Whose fault?"

The young woman on the balcony began to cry. "My mother's…I can't live like this anymore."

"Like what?"

"She doesn't understand. She's messing up my whole life."

"Mothers can do that sometimes…even without realizing it."

"Oh, she knows."

Slowly, Reese started to move forward towards the balcony.

"Hold it right there. Don't come any closer." Emily shifted a little as she held her balance on the railing. She paused for a second. "She wants me to be a nurse."

"…And, you don't want that?"

"No."

"What do YOU want?" Reese asked.

"I want to dance. I've always loved dancing. People say I'm pretty good at it, too. But, she JUST doesn't understand."

"You have to do what makes YOU happy. You're how old?"

"21….I'll be 22 next month."

"Well, you're an adult now. You can make your own choices. If you want to dance, go out and be the best dancer you can be."

Emily chuckled. "You don't know my mother."

"Emily…I know your mother better than you think I do." Reese paused. "What's going to happen if you do this? You want to hurt her, don't you?"

Emily nodded.

"Sure, you'll hurt your mother, but you won't be around to see it." Reese paused again. "Listen, I know some great people who can help you." She reached her hand out towards the woman. "C'mon. Let's get you out of here."

Emily looked downward from the balcony. She began to cry. Slowly, she climbed over the balcony railing and back into the apartment.

As Monica reached out to hug her friend, she looked at Reese and said, "Thank you." The two young women sat down on the couch in the living room. Emily was crying and Monica was wiping the tears from her friend's face.

Reese went into the bathroom to wash her face and hands. She could hear Roy on the Handie-Talkie relaying information to the Captain. She looked in the mirror as she dried her face. Taking a deep breath, she hung up the towel and opened the bathroom door.

Johnny was the first one to break the silence in the squad. "You know, you did an amazing job back there."

"Thanks."

"If you don't mind my asking, what was that you said about knowing that woman's mother?"

"Johnny, I'd really rather not talk about it, if you don't mind."

"Sure. I just thought…"

Roy gave his partner a disapproving glance.

"Let's just say that I earned another Girl Scout badge…in Psychology."

Johnny scratched his head. "They give badges out for that?"


End file.
